Daily Norseman
An unexpected move from the Vikings
Ahead of their trip to Chicago this weekend, the Minnesota Vikings are making a move that I’m relatively certain that nobody saw coming.
Numerous sources are reporting that the Vikings are waiving cornerback Akayleb Evans.
Evans was the team’s fourth-round pick out of Missouri in the 2022 NFL Draft. In his two-plus years with the Vikings, he started 17 games, including 15 games in 2023. He appeared in seven of the team’s ten games this season, primarily on special teams, playing on half of the special teams snaps. He had his difficulties at the cornerback position, particularly at the end of last season when he seemed almost disinterested as the Vikings’ defense faded down the stretch.
It isn’t clear exactly why the Vikings have chosen now to let Evans go. The team has issues at cornerback as far as depth is concerned beyond their top three of Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, and Byron Murphy, and though Evans had only played three defensive snaps this season he’s a player with starting experience who could have potentially stepped in if any of those players got injured.
Whether there is more to this story or not remains to be seen, but for now the news comes as a bit of a surprise. This means the Vikings have an empty roster spot to fill as they get ready for their matchup with the Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon, and once they make a move to fill that spot we will let you know what it is.
