The Minnesota Vikings have rebuilt their cornerback room for the second straight offseason, but this time was more intentional. If the experiment is going to work, the Vikings need Isaiah Rodgers to deliver on the faith they are placing in him.
At the same time, he may be underrated.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis noted one thought about 46 Vikings defenders, and Rodgers’ is especially encouraging.
“Maybe the most slept-on Vikings defender,” Lewis wrote on July 9. “He’s athletic. He’s tough. He has ball skills. Rodgers and Byron Murphy Jr. is an underrated cornerback tandem. The question with the room is the depth behind them.”
A sixth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2020, Rodgers spent three seasons there before being waived amid a year-long gambling suspension. Rodgers spent the 2024 season with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
He tallied 26 total tackles, 4 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble in 15 games with three starts during the regular season.
Rodgers signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Vikings in free agency this spring.
Isaiah Rodgers Delivering on Vikings’ Confidence
GettyFormer Philadelphia Eagles CB Isaiah Rodgers #34 warms up before Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rodgers passed his first test with the Vikings, the offseason program, turning heads during the process.
“Rodgers displayed playmaking ability, jumping an out route and intercepting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, while also showing speed as a kickoff returner,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote in June. “It’s not clear whether the Vikings will use him as a returner, given the heavy workload he’s expected to face as a cornerback.”
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell acknowledged that Rodgers’ work as a returner could be limited due to his duties at cornerback. O’Connell also noted, as did Seifert, that Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is a fan of Rodgers.
Flores said he had been monitoring Rodgers since his collegiate days.
“Isaiah was a guy that Flo really identified pretty early. And historically … he’s been pretty darn accurate,” O’Connell told reporters in April. “And that guy, whether playing for us or somebody else, has immediately shown up. So no pressure on Isaiah, but he definitely got that evaluation from Flo.”
Rodgers is on the shorter side at 5-foot-10, and slight of frame at 170 pounds, but could give the Vikings a formidable 1-2 punch.
Vikings Boast Deep CB Room
GettyByron Murphy #7 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts against the Chicago Bears.
Lewis noted the various players joining Rodgers in the Vikings’ cornerback room, which includes former draft picks Ambry Thomas (San Francisco 49ers), whom the insider says is “young enough to keep eyes on,” and Jeff Okudah (Detroit Lions), a first-rounder back in 2020.
There is also coaching staff darling Dwight McGlothern, and former Vikings third-round pick Mekhi Blackmon, who is returning from a torn ACL in 2024.
Those players, and others, figure to slot in behind Murphy and Rodgers, though.
“Last year, Murphy kept all six of his interceptions. The footballs cluttered in his locker,” Lewis wrote. “Replicate anything close to last year’s level of production, and Minnesota will be in fine shape at corner.”
The Vikings ranked fifth in scoring and 16th in total defense in 2024, but they were 28th against the pass, employing an aggressive style that was susceptible to big plays.
Creating more for the defense would, in turn, create more opportunities for the Vikings’ offense.
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