Vikings can sign this cornerback to replace Mike Hughes

With the Minnesota Vikings trading cornerback Mike Hughes to the Kansas City Chiefs, signing free agent Steven Nelson would be a wise move. 

Seemingly out of nowhere, the Minnesota Vikings pulled off quite the move on Thursday, trading former first-round pick Mike Hughes to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs getting stronger on defense? This isn’t great news for all the Kansas City haters.

However, Minnesota fans seem to be fired up over Hughes leaving town, as he had several bouts with inconsistency. With Hughes officially on his way to the AFC West, who could the team sign to replace him for the secondary? Well, how about Steven Nelson?

The Vikings shouldn’t waste time and sign free agent cornerback Steven Nelson

Unfortunately for Hughes, his 2020 didn’t go as planned. He missed the majority of the year with a serious neck injury, allowing him to only appear in four games. On the campaign, the defensive back posted 13 tackles and one pass deflection. That’s nothing to phone home about.

He never lived up to his first-round hype, which surely caused plenty of frustration among the Minnesota supporters. As for Nelson, he’s looking for a new home and several teams have shown interest. The veteran cornerback started 15 games for the Steelers last year, recording 48 tackles and two interceptions. From our chair, Nelson would be a major upgrade from Hughes.

If the Vikings are serious about making something happen here, though, they’ll likely need to move quick. The Eagles are reportedly interested in signing Nelson, with reports coming out this week saying he’s also eyeing a potential move to the NFC East.

However, Minnesota could change his mind and get him to the NFC North instead. If the Vikings front office hasn’t picked up the phone yet, they need to change that immediately.