Tag: Byron Murphy

Steve Sarkisian mentions four players standing out in spring practice

These four Longhorns could see significant playing time in the fall.

Texas is in the midst of an important spring semester in year three under Steve Sarkisian. Continue reading “Steve Sarkisian mentions four players standing out in spring practice”

Vikings get creative, save $2.1 million with adjustment to Byron Murphy’s contract

The #Vikings freed up more than $2 million in cap space by adding three void years to Byron Murphy’s contract on Tuesday

Finances have played a huge role in the Minnesota Vikings’ ability to construct a competitive roster ahead of the 2023 season, and with an adjustment to newly acquired cornerback Byron Murphy’s contract, the team managed to save over $2 million against their salary cap.

This shrewd maneuver involved adding three void years to Murphy’s signed contract, which will incur a dead-money hit for the 2025 season, but free up $2.1 million for them this season. It is worth noting that this move got Minnesota under the salary cap limit, which should enable the Vikings to continue pursuing free agents as the offseason wears on.

The merits of these void-year arrangements are debatable, but for a team that sees itself as being in a championship window, they could prove themselves to be necessary if the Vikings truly think they can compete for a Super Bowl in 2023. While borrowing money from future seasons seems like a desperate move now, the risk would surely be worth the reward if Minnesota manages to bring home a Lombardi trophy next season.

Vikings earn favorable grade from PFF after flurry of moves in free agency

The #Vikings got a high grade from PFF after their work in the first week of free agency despite coming out with a negative mark in PFF WAR

The quants at Pro Football Focus gave the Minnesota Vikings an A- grade for their fast-paced start to the 2023 free agency period despite the team’s negative PFF War mark following their additions and subtractions.

Minnesota has focused mostly on upgrading their defense to this point in the offseason, signing defensive linemen Marcus Davenport and Dean Lowry as well as cornerback Byron Murphy. All three of these proven playmakers should serve the Vikings well as they look to push for playoff contention beyond the divisional round.

On offense, Minnesota’s intentions have been clear; they intend to re-sign as many members of their 2022 roster as possible. Three of the five players that they have retained were members of their prolific offense last season, and the only addition they’ve made on that side of the ball has been tight end Josh Oliver, who will play mostly as a blocker on running downs. The only attrition to their offense came when the team released wide receiver Adam Thielen due to salary cap constraints.

All in all, despite their favorable grade, PFF estimates that the Vikings have come out with a net PFF WAR of -1.206 following their moves in the first week of free agency, which puts Minnesota squarely on the wrong side of the equation in that category. The raw numbers mean that, by PFF’s metrics, the Vikings have lost more talent than they’ve gained, though a multitude of factors could make this number irrelevant when play resumes in the regular season.

For now, fans in the North Star State will have to wait to see who the team might target in the second week of free agency, and consider which prospects in the upcoming draft might help the team immediately in 2023.

The best bargains and most underrated players in 2023 NFL free agency (so far)

Everybody wants to talk about the big-name signings, but here are the best bargains of the 2023 free agent class so far.

There are people in the NFL — especially people who have endured one or more instances of top-heavy free-agency spending — who will tell you that if you want to contend for a Super Bowl, the bottom third of your roster will be just as important as the top third at some point in time. Yes, you want optimal performances from the best and brightest, and if you get it, that’s great. But one of your star players will probably miss time with an injury. Another star might be involved in a contract dispute. And it’s entirely possible that the big-ticket free agent your team brought in for the gross national product of Estonia is actually a bad fit for what his new coaches would like him to do.

It happens all the time. To counter all of these little nightmares, it’s wise to find the best bargains in any free-agent cycle — those players who may not be marquee names, but whose performances on the field makes them important to you.

Especially when things go wrong up top.

There are still quite a few talented players on the open market, so we’ll be adding to this list as we go… but for now, here are the free agents either re-signing in their old homes or going to new locations who will impact their rosters much more than you may think.

POLL: React to loss of Byron Murphy, Zach Allen

The Cardinals lost CB Byron Murphy and DL Zach Allen in free agency. What is your take on the losses? Vote in the poll!

The Arizona Cardinals have suffered two major losses in free agency. Defensive lineman Zach Allen got a three-year deal to join the Denver Broncos and cornerback Byron Murphy got a two-year deal to join the Minnesota Vikings.

Both were young, ascending players who were among the best on the Cardinals’ defense.

Both were coming off injuries and have dealt with injuries throughout their entire careers so far.

Allen got big money and Murphy got pretty good money.

But their departure creates major holes on the defense.

Are you unhappy or okay with the losses?

Vote in the poll!

[polldaddy poll=11947280]

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1368]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw7fa4ahbvdd03 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Vikings make free agent signings official at the start of new league year

The #Vikings announced official deals with Byron Murphy, Marcus Davenport, and Josh Oliver when the NFL’s new league year began on Wednesday

The NFL’s new league year has officially begun, and the Minnesota Vikings wasted no time in announcing their official deals with cornerback Byron Murphy, outside linebacker Marcus Davenport, and tight end Josh Oliver. Vikings fans eagerly awaited the signings of the three players who had agreed to deals during the NFL’s legal tampering window.

The signings of Murphy, Davenport, and Oliver are important for the Vikings as they look to improve the overall youth of their roster, which seems to be a theme thus far. The team has made several moves this offseason to bolster its roster, and these three signings will add much-needed depth to key positions.

Overall, Vikings fans should be excited about the team’s off-season moves and the signings of Murphy, Davenport, and Oliver. The team is clearly looking to improve and compete in the tough NFC North division, and these signings will play a key role in their success.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysVEs8mwYP8]

Vikings to give CB Byron Murphy a two-year, $22 million deal. Grade: B

The Vikings got a bargain in former Cardinals CB Byron Murphy — as long as they keep him in press coverage most (well, all) of the time.

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.

Last season, Murphy (who missed the second half of the 2022 season due to injury) allowed 36 catches on 56 targets for 350 yards, 155 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, no interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 105.5. Based on charting, when Murphy was pressed against his receiver, he allowed just three catches on eight targets for 36 yards.

Clearly, that’s where Murphy is comfortable, and you can see it on tape. In Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Davante Adams did everything he could to shake Murphy out of press on this fade ball, and Murphy wasn’t having it.

So, while Murphy isn’t anybody’s idea of a shutdown cornerback, he’s a nice cog in a defense that’s going through all kinds of changes, and the money isn’t out of hand for what he can bring in the right coverages.

Twitter reacts to Vikings signing Byron Murphy

The #Vikings agreed to terms with Byron Murphy on Tuesday evening. Fans, media, and players took to Twitter to share their reactions.

The Minnesota Vikings made a huge stride toward revamping their beleaguered secondary by agreeing to terms with cornerback Byron Murphy on Tuesday night, and fans are ecstatic.

The news quickly spread on social media, with fans, the media, and players taking to Twitter to share their reactions and excitement. Many expressed their delight at the prospect of having Murphy in the team’s secondary, while others praised the Vikings’ front office for making a bold move early in the offseason.

With the addition of their newest cornerback, Minnesota’s defense is looking even stronger.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysVEs8mwYP8]

What the Byron Murphy signing means for the Vikings

Murphy will make an immediate impact for Minnesota as a starter in Brian Flores’ aggressive #Vikings defense

Even though it’s taken a while, the Minnesota Vikings have another cornerback.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Vikings have agreed to terms with cornerback Bryon Murphy. The deal is worth about $22 million over two seasons.

The announcement of Murphy’s contract comes at a critical time for Minnesota. Heading into free agency, only Akayleb Evans played a significant amount of snaps for the Vikings at cornerback last season.

Minnesota saw two former cornerbacks move to different teams since free agency opened on Monday. Veteran Patrick Peterson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cameron Dantzler Sr. was claimed by the Washington Commanders.

Here is how Byron Murphy can fit into the Vikings’ plans.

 

Vikings agree to terms with cornerback Byron Murphy

The Minnesota #Vikings have made a major splash in free agency by agreeing to terms with cornerback Byron Murphy according to Tom Pelissero

[mm-video type=video id=01gvjwm07x0yh27x5d41 playlist_id=01eqbyjpbajmjvnqmj player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvjwm07x0yh27x5d41/01gvjwm07x0yh27x5d41-60dba15526da72942ad31a263df7e533.jpg]

The Minnesota Vikings have made a major splash in the offseason by agreeing to terms with cornerback Byron Murphy on a 2-year, $22 million dollar contract according to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Murphy, who was widely regarded as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL free agency market, is expected to have an immediate impact on the Vikings’ defense.

A former standout at the University of Washington, Murphy was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He quickly established himself as a reliable and versatile defender, with the ability to cover a wide range of receivers and make plays on the ball.

With the addition of Murphy, the Vikings’ defense has solidified their secondary. His skill set fits perfectly with the aggressive, attacking style of Minnesota’s defense, making him a valuable asset for the team moving forward.

Overall, the Vikings’ decision to sign Murphy is a significant step toward bolstering their defense and improving Minnesota’s chances of making a deep playoff run in the upcoming season. Fans will surely be eager to see what Murphy can bring to the field in Vikings purple and gold.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysVEs8mwYP8&w=560&h=315]