1 offseason move each NFL team must make

Minnesota Vikings’ offseason move – Draft a cornerback at No. 24

There were plenty of reasons to be skeptical of Minnesota despite its gaudy record in 2022. The Vikings made their critics look smart with a flameout in the Wild Card round, losing at home to a New York Giants team that got blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles six days later.

A big part of the problem for Minnesota was its secondary, which was cooked by the likes of Isaiah Hodgins and Richie James in the playoff loss. New defensive coordinator Brian Flores has his work cut out for him to overhaul a unit that gave up 7.2 yards per pass attempt, the third worst in the league in that category.

Veteran Patrick Peterson is a free agent who shouldn’t be retained and Minnesota’s tight salary cap situation likely precludes a big money push for James Bradberry. The best option is for the Vikings to draft a cornerback at No. 24, with South Carolina’s Cam Smith being a reasonable target.

A 6-foot corner who may slide later in the first round due to his average recovery speed, Smith is the kind of physical player who can make noise in the modern NFL by being a pain in the neck against opposing receivers. There will be some growing pains with a rookie but this is the most cost-effective way for Minnesota to fix its secondary.