The Minnesota Vikings had a very busy draft in 2014 and with Teddy Bridgewater in the fold, the team now can concentrate on defense and one area of weakness is at cornerback and that is what a trade for names like Morris Claiborne or Brandon Flowers with the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs could be in the works for Mike Zimmer as he tries to add depth at the position.
The Vikings were one of the worst teams in the league defending the pass last season and they ranked 31st in the NFL with nearly 290 yards per game and that is one area they need to improve if they want to bounce back in 2014. Strong secondary units usually translate into winning teams and while the team picked Xavier Rhodes last season in the first round of the draft, the team needs more behind him and making a move for someone like Claiborne or Flowers could pay off big for the team.
The Cowboys may not be willing to give up Claiborne after what they gave up to get him a couple years ago in the draft, but with their money situation and other issues on the tea, Jerry Jones could look to make a move. According to ESPN.com writer Field Yates, the Cowboys could look to trade Claiborne at some point before next season, as his fifth year option time is coming up and with the way he has performed, the team picking it up is no guarantee.
ESPN.com writes that the fifth year option comes into play for Claiborne after this season and while the team picked up one on Tyron Smith, they may not be so quick to do it for Morris, as the bill could be up to about $10.081 million, which was the franchise tag for CBs this year. Claiborne lost his starting job last season at one point and while some of that was due to injuries, he has only two picks in his career and has looked overmatched at times. The Cowboys ranked third to last in passing yards allowed per game last season and while giving up Claiborne may not exactly help that, it may not hurt either.
The Vikings have some talent at the position with last year's first round pick Xavier Rhodes and they also signed Captain Munnerlyn as a free agent from the Panthers, but past that the team doesn't have much depth, with names like Derek Cox and Shaun Prater on the roster along with rookie Antone Exum. Flowers is an option as well, as Pro Football Talk reported that before the draft the Chiefs were looking into trading him for picks.
The Vikings went with defense for their first pick in the draft with Anthony Barr and while that was a need position as well, the team has some depth issues at cornerback and they may have to address them before training camp or risk another tough year on defense. Zimmer was a great defensive coach in Cincinnati and he put a focus on the cornerback position and the secondary, so he could make something out of nothing for the team, but they could use a boost at the position.
