Once Patrick Peterson agreed to his two-year, $14 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Minnesota Vikings went from cornerback-light status to REALLY cornerback-light status. They’re still in that position, and this deal shouldn’t preclude Minnesota from taking at least one cornerback in the draft, but the addition of Byron Murphy, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals, should help a bit.
The Vikings will give Murphy a two-year, $22 million deal when the league year turns over on Wednesday, and that’s not a bad deal for where the 2019 second-round pick out of Washington is at this point in his career. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Murphy isn’t scheme- or technique-transcendent, but you can see why new Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores would be able to get the best out of him. During his time in New England and Miami, Flores presided over defenses in which aggressive press coverage was generally the order of the day, and that’s where Murphy is at his best.
