Minnesota saw a good share of departures in the secondary, but there’s still a question of whether that’s good or bad.
Minnesota lost two starters in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes. The team also saw Mackensie Alexander sign with the Bengals.
However, Rhodes and Waynes were inconsistent throughout 2019, and the team has brought in some younger talent who might be more promising.
There’s also some more good news: Despite Rhodes and Waynes being less than stellar at times, Pro Football Focus still rated the Vikings coverage unit third in the NFL.
Now imagine if some of those cornerbacks like Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler step up and play well? That, combined with Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith back deep at safety, will bode well for Minnesota’s chances of having one of the better defensive back corps in the league, despite losing key contributors from last season.
There’s also Mike Hughes and Holton Hill, two players who were reserves for the Vikings. They have a chance to take starting positions and maybe even be better than Rhodes and Waynes.