Thank you for submitting questions for this week's Vikings mailbag. You can always send questions to @Andrew_Krammer on X or andrew.krammer@startribune.com, and listen for answers on the weekly Access Vikings podcasts or find them here. Let's get to it.
Q: The secondary had a really rough game last Sunday. Who do you think were the players struggling the most against the Chargers? And what can the Vikings do to fix that? — Gordon
AK: Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. was targeted a team-high 14 times, according to Pro Football Focus, and allowed 10 catches for 185 yards. His coverage busts cited by PFF include being the nearest defender to Mike Williams on the trick play for a 49-yard touchdown from Keenan Allen. Despite having decent coverage on Williams, he also allowed a 35-yard completion. "I could be better there," Murphy said after the game. Cornerback Akayleb Evans, the second-year defender, made the gaffe of the game when he tipped a near interception into a touchdown for Chargers receiver Joshua Palmer. Evans also gave up a 29-yard throw to Palmer earlier in the game.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores was asked Thursday about the Palmer touchdown that Evans could've intercepted: "It was a big one in the game, one he feels he could've had. One that would've or could've made a major difference in the game, but like any player, mistakes are going to happen. There's always going to be plays you want back. He's a confident guy. We have confidence in him. He's done a lot of good things, we'll continue to work with him. He's a young, developing player in his second year. He'll learn from it, and I think he'll make that play next time."
The cornerback position – starters and depth – has been a concern for a long time in Minnesota. That concern remains.
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Q: I would like your input on signing Marcus Davenport. I understand it is a long season, but he will have missed 20% of the season if he is out again this week. This is the reason the Saints let him go. — Jeff
AK: Davenport, a 2018 first-round pick, has yet to play more than 50.5% of his team's defensive snaps in a given season. His body, listed 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, has been through a long list of injuries. In 2022 alone, Davenport underwent three surgeries: two to repair his right shoulder and another to amputate the top of his left pinky finger. The Vikings knew all this when signing him. In his contract, Davenport has unique per-game roster bonus language in which he can still earn the roughly $117,000 per game whether active or inactive, unless an absence is tied to a pre-existing condition in the right shoulder.
