Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield is scheduled to see a foot specialist in North Carolina within the next two weeks, according to an NFL source.
Winfield missed six games after breaking his right foot in October and struggled in two games shortly after returning in December as he attempted to play all the snaps at his regular left corner spot. The Vikings moved Winfield into the slot in nickel situations in the final regular-season game against the New York Giants in order to decrease his workload. Winfield continued to be used in specific instances in the Vikings' two playoff games.
He was believed to have re-injured his foot in overtime of the Vikings' loss to New Orleans on Sunday but coach Brad Childress denied that was the case at his season-ending news conference on Tuesday. "I think he's just hurting from the end of the season," Childress said. "He should be fine."
Winfield, however, underwent an MRI on his foot on Tuesday. The results of that MRI are not known. If nothing else, the specialist will be able to tell if Winfield's recovery is on the right track or if something else needs to be done.
Meanwhile, the Vikings could put a priority on trying to re-sign cornerback Benny Sapp, who took Winfield's place at the left corner for much of the time the veteran was out. Sapp just completed his second season with the Vikings but was playing on a second consecutive one-year contract. His value might have increased to the Vikings after starting right corner Cedric Griffin suffered a torn ACL on Sunday at New Orleans.
Griffin's recovery is expected to take six-to-nine months, meaning Sapp might be needed to step into Griffin's spot. The other option is for the Vikings to give Asher Allen a look but the reality in the NFL is you need three corners that can play consistently because teams spend so much time in their nickel defense.
