Not only will a promising young player miss the year after just one practice, the Vikings are left very much shorthanded in the cornerback room.
EAGAN — After some very difficult days leading up to the beginning of training camp with the death of cornerback Khyree Jackson and Jordan Addison being cited on suspicion of DUI, the Minnesota Vikings desperately wanted to get back on the field and begin work on the 2024 season. But they took another hit on Day 1 when cornerback Mekhi Blackmon went down with an injury that turned out to be a torn ACL.
The flexibility of the CB room is also significantly decreased with Blackmon’s injury. He played almost exclusively outside corner last year, meaning that more playing time for him might have meant more snaps at nickel for Murphy Jr. if the former USC corner remained healthy. Murphy Jr. had a strong history with the Cardinals as a slot corner but only played 214 snaps inside in 2023.
The Vikings defense was already planning on relying on safety Josh Metellus to remain in his versatile role but more depth was going to mean more options. Without Blackmon the options are limited. They will have no other choice than to add another cornerback just days after Shelley was brought back into the mix.
Darnold appeared to take all of the first-team reps and operated an overall smooth practice. There were a few incompletions here and there and one 7-on-7 throw that was nearly intercepted but he looked very comfortable going through reads executing rollouts. Certainly the intensity will ramp up more as camp goes on and the pads come on.
The second-year receiver began by explaining that he could not go into details about the incident for legal reasons but acknowledged that he was in a “dark place” right after it happened. He noted that he apologized to teammates and said O’Connell was “supportive” and “disappointed.”
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