When the Minnesota Vikings exited the NFL Draft, they felt pretty good about the future of the cornerback position. It wasn't a great group for 2024, but they had a lot of potential and would likely be using the season for growth.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Khyree Jackson passed away in a tragic car accident and Mekhi Blackmon suffered a torn ACL within a three-week period, sending the cornerback room into a major state of flux.
They decided to make multiple short-term moves to fortify the room to fortify the room for the short term and one is already paying major dividends.
Stephon Gilmore is thriving through two games
When the Vikings brought in Gilmore, it was a high-profile signing that some thought could elevate the Vikings cornerback room to a different level. With his experience with defensive coordinator Brian Flores , it's been a relatively easy transition to playing with the Vikings. Head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke about the seamless addition of Gilmore on Friday, praising his intelligence.
"Yeah, I think first and foremost, he's (got) the ability to come in and be in a good enough shape, understand his body over a long career, or what he's really needed to do to be prepared to play. Speaks volumes for Steph, once he's gotten here, just his ability to handle what we do, how we want to play. He's got some familiarity with the defense, but Flo has taken this to a different place in many aspects, from maybe what they did together when they were together before. So I just think it speaks to the type of player, football Institute, smart, tough, dependable, loves football, and he just so happens to be one of those guys that's done it for a really long time at a high level. So I'm very fortunate to have him on our team."
Gilmore has done a lot of different things for the Vikings so far, including travel across the field. With the success that the Vikings are having, Gilmore has been a big part of it on the back end. If he can stay healthy, it will be a major impact on the Vikings making a run this season.
