The Underrated Vikings Addition Who Changes Everything This Offseason

The Minnesota Vikings didn’t have an active offseason, but they added some pieces they hope can make a big contribution this offseason. The new free-agent class doesn’t have the star power it had one year ago, but the Vikings are hoping they found a diamond in the rough in free agent cornerback James Pierre.

After spending his first six seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2022 season with current Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores on Mike Tomlin’s staff, Pierre could be in for his biggest role yet and it had ESPN’s Ben Solak suggesting he could be a breakout player that could change everything for Minnesota’s defense.

“The Vikings like to rotate cornerbacks on cheap contracts, as Flores’s zone-heavy and blitz-happy approach requires fewer snaps of prolonged man coverage than most other defenses,” Solak explained. “This offseason, they snagged Pierre in free agency after he made some strong spot starts with the Steelers. Pierre had only 219 coverage snaps last season, but his passer rating allowed of 49.8 was second only to [former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback] Jamel Dean among cornerbacks last season.”

James Pierre could be Vikings next big bargain in the secondary

The Vikings’ cornerback situation is a fluid one entering this season. While teams like the Los Angeles Rams have invested big at the position, including a blockbuster trade for Trent McDuffie and a big free agent contract for Jaylen Watson, Minnesota has taken an alternative approach, relying on its front seven to create pressure and find low-cost additions at the cornerback position to man the back end.

The strategy worked for finding Byron Murphy, who began his Vikings tenure with a two-year, $17.5 million contract signed in 2023 and has since signed a three-year, $54 million contract that looks like a bargain compared to his peers. Isaiah Rodgers was also a bargain find, signing a two-year, $11 million contract last offseason, and he holds down a starting role heading into training camp.

Murphy and Rodgers may be the blueprint the Vikings are using to project Pierre.

Like Solak mentioned, he didn’t have a large sample size, logging 889 coverage snaps over his six seasons with the Steelers per Pro Football Focus. But he performed well when called upon, allowing 69 catches for 867 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions with 16 pass breakups on 125 targets.

The 2022 season under Flores, who served as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach at the time, is another important data point. His 59.2 passer rating allowed on 27 targets that year was the second-lowest of his career, behind only the 57.2 passer rating he allowed on 35 targets last season.

If Pierre can find that form in this stint with Flores, it could mean good things for the Vikings. Rodgers was going to be in an outside cornerback role no matter what after last season’s performance. But the Vikings have more flexibility with Murphy, who can slide into the slot or play on the outside depending on the packages Flores wants to use.

For a defense that was third in yardage allowed and seventh in points allowed last season, finding a steady cornerback solution at a price tag of a two-year, $8.5 million contract could help it become even better. That makes Pierre a player to watch and someone who could make a massive impact in Minnesota this season.

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