The Vikings are moving on from a former defensive starter. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Vikings have waived cornerback Akayleb Evans.
A 2022 fourth-round pick, Evans had occasional defensive cameos as a rookie before taking on a significantly larger role as a sophomore. The cornerback started all 15 of his appearances in 2023, finishing with 65 tackles, seven passes defended, one interception, and three forced fumbles. The added responsibility didn’t necessarily lead to a bump in effectiveness, as Pro Football Focus only ranked Evans 99th among 127 qualifying CBs last season.
The Vikings reworked their CB depth chart this past offseason, bringing in both Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin to pair with Byron Murphy. As a result, Evans has been limited to only three defensive snaps in 2024, with the third-year player even falling behinds the likes of Jay Ward and Theo Jackson on the depth chart. While Evans seemingly fell out of favor, Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune points out that he was one of the few CBs signed beyond the 2024 campaign, meaning the organization may be eyeing yet another positional makeover this offseason.
As ESPN’s Kevin Seifert notes, there’s a chance that Evans still lands back on Minnesota’s practice squad. Of course, that would require the player to pass through waivers unclaimed, so the Vikings can’t necessarily count on the roster machination.
Good lord where are they gonna get 5 CB’s in 2025??? Will cost a fortune to bring in that many decent CBs
I mean I guess they will have JJ at QB on cheap rookie deal. But still good cb’s cost $$$$$$
Draft. Double up on the position like Detroit and Philly this last draft.
They probably bring in
1 good free agent
2 couple ok free agents
2 draft picks possibly one being their 1st to start opposite their signature free agent signing
Kind of hard to double up on two serviceable CBs when you have a first and then…….. Two 5ths not counting and comp picks.
Well not with that attitude
You can find serviceable cbs in the 5th or later
Chargers found cam hart and tarheeb still in the 5th last year
Dallas found Daron bland and Seattle found woolen in 2022 in the fifth
Teams like Buffalo and Seattle through the years have found plenty 5-7 even udfa cbs