The Vikings weren’t sure what they’d get from second-year cornerback Mike Hughes in 2019.
Hughes tore his ACL midway through his rookie season. He missed offseason workouts, training camp and preseason. He didn’t make his debut until Week Week 3.
As the 2019 season has progressed, so has Hughes’ role on the team.
“For him to miss that time, obviously, was big. OTAs as well,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “He is very conscientious, he asks a lot of questions. He wants to be really detailed about his work and he continues to be that way each and every day. I feel like he is feeling much better with it. I think he is still asking a lot of questions about what he should be doing and how he should be doing and things like that.”
Hughes went from averaging 30-35 snaps midway through the season to 46 and 53 snaps, respectively, over the last two weeks.
With Xavier Rhodes’ decline, the Vikings have had to rely on Hughes more and more.
Hughes has a Pro Football Focus grade of just 57.4, a mark that ranks 89th of 126 cornerbacks. That’s not great, but it’s also more than a 10-point increase over Rhodes.
No matter who the Vikings face off against in the wild card round (49ers, Saints, Seahawks or Packers), Hughes will play a pivotal role in that game.