The Minnesota Vikings defense has been a revelation this season, and the franchise could use the trade deadline to add to the secondary as the team tries to make the playoffs after a 1-4 start.
That logic underlies the argument of Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, who suggested on Friday, Oct. 27, that the Vikings add to their defensive backfield by trading for cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting from the Tennessee Titans.
If the Minnesota Vikings are more interested in making the playoffs than trading veterans in the second half of the season, getting a quality quarterback should be high on their priority list. Their defense has improved under new coordinator Brian Flores, but still ranks 20th in net yards per pass attempt allowed.
Murphy-Bunting would be a terrific target for the Vikings. … Murphy-Bunting is also playing on a one-year deal, meaning Tennessee may be willing to part ways with him if it’s ready to punt on the remainder of the season.
Sean Murphy-Bunting Capable of Playing Big Role for Vikings Secondary
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Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting #0 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates a fumble recovery with his teammates during an NFL game against the Cleveland Browns in September 2023.
Murphy-Bunting is in a breakout season of sorts in a couple of ways.
First, he’s transitioned into a full-time starter at the position for the first time in his five-year career. The 26-year-old CB started all six games he played in in 2023 and played 96 percent of the Titans’ snaps, having completed 74 percent of his team’s snaps in just one previous campaign.
Murphy-Bunting is also playing relatively well considering the number of pass attempts opposing quarterbacks make. He is on pace for career highs in tackles (29 so far), pass breakups (4 so far) and has already tied a career high with two forced fumbles, according to Pro Football Reference. Murphy-Bunting also has a shutout this season, the seventh of her career.
The cornerback spent his first four years in the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since being drafted by the Bucs in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, he has played in 59 regular season games, starting 42 of those contests.
Advanced Analytics qualifies the Vikings as buyers before the NFL trade deadline
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Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is in line for a historic contract extension next season.
The Murphy-Bunting deal is also a good fit for Minnesota, which remains cash-strapped as the team continues its years-long transition into a new era.
The cornerback is signed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal and will hit free agency in March 2024. The Vikings have about $8 million in cap space in 2023 and currently have $38 million to spend next year.
Minnesota can utilize Murphy-Bunting — or another, higher-profile cornerback like C.J. Henderson of the Carolina Panthers — as a one-year rental. If Flores likes what he sees, the team can attempt to re-sign that player long-term after it sorts out a contract extension with All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings could also decide to sell ahead of the NFL’s October 31 trade deadline, which might mean parting ways with the likes of edge-rusher Danielle Hunter. However, Minnesota’s upcoming schedule and its three wins over the past four weeks to bring the team’s record to 3-4 have combined to put the Vikings back in the playoff hunt.
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) now projects Minnesota will win between 8.2-8.7 games this season and gives the Vikings a 55.4% chance to make the playoffs heading into Week 8. All of those numbers will change if Minnesota can’t go to Lambeau Field and beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, but the team’s current analysis warrants a trade or two before the trade deadline to play in the postseason. If the Vikings choose to do so, moves to help in the secondary or defensive front make the most sense.
Max Dible covers the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns and Golden State Warriors for Heavy.com. He covered local and national news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director at BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group and the Big Island family of radio stations before joining Heavy. Learn more about Max Dible
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