The Minnesota Vikings made a big move at cornerback this offseason by re-signing Byron Murphy to a big three-year deal, and the free agency addition of Isaiah Rodgers as the projected starter opposite Murphy apparently came at the beck and call of defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Behind Murphy and Rodgers, there are question marks on the cornerback depth chart. The Vikings took a flier on former No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah, who hasn’t proven he can stay healthy. Mekhi Blackmon is back after suffering a torn ACL in last year’s training camp. There may be some hope for 2024 UDFA Dwight McGlothern, but he has 19 regular-season snaps on his NFL resume.
There of course aren’t many good options available in free agency now, otherwise they wouldn’t be available. Teams also seem to be very cognizant of the compensatory draft pick formula, which stands to push a lot of free agent signings to after the draft now. The Vikings’ possible post-draft signings may extend beyond securing a veteran quarterback to back up J.J. McCarthy.
Former Cincinnati Bengals CB Mike Hilton seems like easy free-agent fit for the Minnesota Vikings
Mark Stolte of Pro Football Network recently proposed one free agent each NFL team should sign, and for the Minnesota, it was cornerback Mike Hilton.
“The Minnesota Vikings have Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers to play on the outside at corner, but lack the players for the slot position. While Murphy is more than capable of playing both, I would prefer to keep him on the outside and slot Hilton on the inside. This is because there aren’t many outside corners worth taking in free agency.”
Hilton spent the last four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. In 16 games last season (10 starts), he had 73 total tackles with one interception and five pass breakups.
Those numbers were all a drop-off from the previous season (84 tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions), but he was still PFF’s 16th-highest graded cornerback last season with the best run defense grade at the position (91.7).
Unless there’s something significant we don’t know, and his acknowledgement that he was likely leaving the Bengals heading into free agency is not a red flag, it’s odd Hilton is still available as the draft looms.
Currently being 31-years-old is a likely factor, but he was still one of the top slot corners in the league last year, and a noticeable decline does not appear imminent.
If his asking price has turned teams away, Hilton will have to adjust if he wants to play in 2025. The ship has long sailed on the idea he’ll get anywhere near his hypothetical market value (three years, $37 million, via Spotrac).
A decent one-year deal and the opportunity to play in Flores’s defensive scheme should be good enough to put the Vikings above any other suitor Hilton might have this offseason, and he would capably fill a significant void that currently exists in Minnesota’s secondary.