Vikings Round Out Practice Squad With Former Bears CB Duke Shelley
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The Vikings finalized their 16-man practice squad with the signing of former Chicago Bears cornerback Duke Shelley.
Shelley, 25, was a sixth-round pick out of Kansas State in 2019 after racking up eight interceptions, seven tackles for loss, and 31 passes defended in four years. He played in 30 games for the Bears over the past three seasons, starting six of them. His defensive snaps increased from 8 as a rookie to 209 in 2020 to 409 last season. Playing in 10 games in 2021, Shelley recorded 37 tackles and three passes defended.
At 5'8" and 183 pounds, Shelley is exclusively a slot cornerback. He's been mostly adequate in coverage during his NFL career, but has struggled with run defense and tackling.
Signing Shelley gives the Vikings some additional depth at nickel. Their starting slot corner is Chandon Sullivan, but it's unclear who Sullivan's backup is. There isn't an obvious No. 2 at that spot on the 53-man roster, which could lead to Parry Nickerson or Shelley being elevated for games. If they're not available and Sullivan goes down, it could be rookie Andrew Booth Jr. or even starting safety Cam Bynum who gets thrust into that role.
The Vikings also announced that they reached an injury settlement with DL T.Y. McGill, who has been released from their IR.
Here's the Vikings' full practice squad:
- QB David Blough
- WR Dan Chisena
- S Myles Dorn
- CB Tay Gowan
- G Kyle Hinton
- WR Trishton Jackson
- RB Bryant Koback
- LB William Kwenkeu
- TE Nick Muse
- CB Parry Nickerson
- OLB Janarius Robinson
- CB Duke Shelley
- DL T.J. Smith
- C Josh Sokol
- WR Travis Toivonen
- DL Jaylen Twyman
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