The Vikings are “kicking the tires” on Dre Kirkpatrick, according to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson (Twitter link). However, their interest is still in the preliminary stage.
The Bengals dropped Kirkpatrick in late March to save $8.3M against the cap while making room for former Vikings corner Trae Waynes, who inked a three-year, $42M pact. If the Vikings sign Kirkpatrick, the two teams could wind up with a cornerback trade of sorts with Mackensie Alexander also headed to Cincy.
The history between Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and Kirkpatrick could play a role here. Zimmer was on the Bengals’ coaching staff when they drafted Kirkpatrick in the first round of the 2012 draft. Meanwhile, new Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones has spent the previous two seasons with the Bengals. There are connections aplenty, and Kirkpatrick may profile as a potential add at this stage of the offseason.
For his career, Kirkpatrick has 99 appearances to his credit over the course of eight seasons. Last year, his season was cut short by a hyperextended knee injury, leaving him with a stat line of 33 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery in six games. Before that, in 2018, he allowed just 44.4% of the targets thrown his way to be caught, good for the second-best rate in the NFL.
After losing Waynes, Alexander, and Rhodes, the Vikings are left with a green group of CBs. As it stands, Mike Hughes and Holton Hill profile as the team’s top corners.
More must-reads: