After a year away from the Minnesota Vikings, defensive back Duke Shelley is back in the Twin Cities after coming to terms with the team.
Shelley played for the Vikings for the 2022 season, appearing in 11 games, five of which were starts. He started his career in Chicago after being drafted by the Bears in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. From there, he signed with Minnesota, where he flashed some high moments with the team and earned high praise from PFF with their grading.
On 398 snaps played, Shelley earned an overall defensive grade of 81.5 but had a tremendous coverage grade of 84.9.
Shelley played in 11 games last year with the Rams but didn’t have the success he had in 2022. The Vikings signed Shelley in hopes that he can provide some depth to the defensive back groups but he may have a shot at earning a meaningful role within the defense.
The secondary is a major concern, especially at cornerback, and getting depth and more rotational pieces could be a good band-aid for the team.