A Terrion Arnold reunion with the NFC North never looked especially likely, and now there’s a clearer picture of where things stand: Minnesota doesn’t appear to be in the mix.
Arnold, who was waived by the Detroit Lions after his June arrest on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping, has drawn interest from a few teams, but the Vikings are not among them. His agent, Nicole Lynn, said in a court hearing on Friday that only the Houston Texans, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, and Seattle Seahawks have reached out about potentially signing the former Lions cornerback.
That lines up with where Minnesota sits on the roster. The Vikings have shown under Kevin O'Connell that they’re willing to take chances on players and coaches who have carried baggage, but this doesn’t look like a spot where they need to force the issue. Cornerback isn’t a glaring hole right now, and Arnold’s NFL production hasn’t given anyone much reason to push for a gamble.
The numbers tell the story. Last season, Arnold’s PFF defensive grade ranked 96th out of 112 qualifying corners.
As a rookie in 2024, he checked in even lower at 109th out of 116. In coverage over the last two seasons with Detroit, he gave up seven touchdowns, and opposing quarterbacks posted a 96.3 passer rating when targeting him, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.
Minnesota’s current top trio at the position - Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, and James Pierre - all graded better than Arnold last season by PFF. Rodgers and Pierre were both among the 20 best cornerbacks in the league by that measure.
If injuries hit during training camp or the preseason, the conversation could change. But even then, Minnesota’s need would have to grow a lot before the team would consider bringing in Arnold while he’s still facing multiple felony charges.
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