Vikings signing CB Jeff Okudah to 1-year deal..
The Vikings are making a cheap signing to flesh out the cornerback room with former Texans CB Jeff Okudah.
After visiting with the Vikings on Monday, former first-round cornerback Jeff Okudah is signing with the team on a one-year deal, per NFL insider Adam Schefter. Okudah was most recently with the Houston Texans where he played in six games for a team that made it to the divisional round of the playoffs.
The 26-year old Okudah is a former first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2020. He started six games while playing in only nine total due to injuries. He recorded 47 tackles, two pass breakups, and one interception as a rookie. After another injury limited him to one game in 2021, Okudah bounced back with 15 starts for the Lions during the 2022 season. He ended that campaign with a career-high 73 tackles, one interception returned for a touchdown, and seven interceptions.
Prior to joining the Texans last season, Okudah spent one season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023. He started nine games while playing in 13 total, the second most he’s played in since being drafted. He ended that year with 44 tackles and three pass breakups.
The Vikings signing Okudah is nothing more than a cheap move that helps them flesh out the cornerback room while giving the former high draft pick a chance to rejuvenate his career under Brian Flores. If he hits, the Vikings could benefit not only from his play as a rotational corner, but also a potential compensatory pick should he really hit his stride in Minnesota.
We’ll update this post as soon as we know the numbers for his contract, as well.
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Minnesota Vikings signing former Detroit Lions 1st-round pick
Former Lions first-round pick Jeff Okudah is back in the NFC North after agreeing to terms with the Vikings.
Jeff Okudah is back in the NFC North.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Okudah has reached a one-year agreement with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency. Terms beyond that have not been made public.
Okudah was the third overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. Unfortunately for Okudah, it didn’t work out with the Detroit Lions. His rookie season was cut short due to a core injury that lingered from college. His second season was lost to an Achilles injury in the first game of the year. He started for the Lions in Year 3, but his game hadn’t developed as much as the Lions had hoped.
In 2023, the Lions aggressively attacked the cornerback position in the offseason. They signed Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, which left Okudah as the odd man out. Detroit traded Okudah to the Falcons for a fifth-round pick. His Detroit career ended with 22 starts, 10 passes defended, and a pair of interceptions in three seasons.
Since then, Okudah spent a season with the Falcons and a season with the Texans. Over that time, he started nine games but has only managed four passes defended and no interceptions. He missed a large portion of the 2024 season with a hip injury. When he returned, he was primarily a reserve, playing in 77 defensive snaps and 74 on special teams.
That said, Minnesota has a pretty thin cornerback room, giving Okudah an opportunity to battle for a role on defense. He’s still just 26 years old. For the Vikings, he’s likely a low-risk, medium-reward option in free agency.