Former Vikings Slot CB Mackensie Alexander Signs With Dolphins
Former Vikings cornerback Mackensie Alexander, an underrated piece of some of Mike Zimmer's best defenses, has signed with the Miami Dolphins, his agent David Canter announced on Monday.
It's a homecoming of sorts for Alexander, a South Florida native who went to high school in Immokalee, FL, a couple hours northwest of Miami. With the Dolphins losing cornerback Trill Williams for the season this weekend, they needed some additional depth at the position.
Alexander was drafted by the Vikings out of Clemson in the second round back in 2016. He was a solid rotational player on the 2017 team that went 13-3 and reached the NFC title game, then had a breakout season in 2018. That year, Alexander played over 550 snaps and finished with four sacks, 10 passes defended, and a 78.1 PFF grade. He was a dynamite run defender and blitzer who also held up well in coverage.
In 2019, the final year of his rookie contract, Alexander again played well. PFF didn't charge him with a single missed tackle that season. Unfortunately, he got injured in the Vikings' meaningless regular season finale, which caused him to miss the team's two playoff games.
Following that season, Alexander signed a one-year deal with the Bengals. He started a career-high ten games in 2020, but his play was inconsistent. Alexander returned to the Vikings last year and saw the bottom fall out as he struggled mightily in coverage. Alexander was one of PFF's lowest-graded cornerbacks last year and allowed a passer rating of 117.1 on targets in his coverage.
Now the 28-year-old gets an opportunity to bounce back with the Dolphins. And if he's able to stay healthy and carve out a role on defense, he'll have a chance to take on his old team when the Vikings travel to Miami in Week 6.
Alexander joins Anthony Barr (Cowboys), Tyler Conklin (Jets), Mason Cole (Steelers), Xavier Woods (Panthers), Rashod Hill (Commanders), Nick Vigil (Cardinals), Chris Herndon (Saints), Chad Beebe (Texans), and Tashawn Bower (Raiders) as Vikings free agents to sign elsewhere this offseason.
Sheldon Richardson, Everson Griffen, and Dede Westbrook are among the UFAs who played for the Vikings last season and remain unsigned.
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