The Vikings still need help at cornerback.
Vikings host former Lions first-round pick Jeff Okudah on a free-agent visit
Okudah, the No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft, is looking for his fourth team in as many years while the Vikings need depth in the secondary.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 17, 2025 at 10:03PM
After re-signing Byron Murphy Jr. and adding former Eagles corner Isaiah Rodgers this month, the Vikings hosted cornerback Jeff Okudah on a free-agent visit Monday at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, the team announced.
Okudah, the former No. 3 overall pick by the Lions in 2020, is looking for his fourth NFL team in as many years.
Health has been a key issue for Okudah.
He has spent time on injured reserve during three of five NFL seasons. Okudah, 26, appeared in six games for the Texans last year, missing nine games because of a hip injury. His 2021 season ended with a ruptured Achilles after previously undergoing abdomen surgery that ended his 2020 rookie year.
The Lions traded Okudah to the Falcons after he started a career-high 15 games in 2022, when he deflected a career-high seven passes and had one interception. Okudah last started for the Falcons, appearing in 13 games (nine starts) in 2023, when he had three pass deflections.
Okudah could provide depth to a Vikings secondary that is currently missing three key players — safety Camryn Bynum and cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin — from last season. Bynum signed with the Colts, while Gilmore and Griffin remain unsigned.
Okudah was an All-American selection for Ohio State in 2019.
The Vikings played host to free-agent receiver Rondale Moore on Friday, but Moore left without an agreement.
Bynum introduced in Indy
In his introductory news conference with the Colts on Monday, Bynum shared that he agreed to the terms of his new contract at 4 a.m. local time in the Philippines, where he spends his offseasons, and hadn’t gone to sleep the night before.
After a season of memorable pop culture-themed celebrations with the Vikings, Bynum was asked several questions about his dance moves and the process to coordinate multiplayer routines.
Bynum explained with a smile that it’s the “same process as football”: watch the film, practice and execute on game day.
He also explained how elaborate celebrations have been important throughout his football career and that rejoicing in personal victories and those of teammates is an important part of the game.
“If you can play well enough to earn a celebration, to earn the fun that you’re having, then why not?” Bynum said. “You worked hard, you put the work in, so why not reward yourself by being able to really celebrate something that you were able to do right?”
Center Garrett Bradbury's departure was expected after the Vikings signed center Ryan Kelly last week and then tried to trade Bradbury, their 2019 first-round pick and longtime starter.
