The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms on a two-year deal with cornerback Byron Murphy, one of the top man-to-man defenders on the free agent market, sources told ESPN on Tuesday night.
Murphy’s skill set will fit well in the scheme of new Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who likes to bring pressure and trust his corners to play in single coverage.
The Vikings are overhauling the position this offseason, having already parted with 2022 starters Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler. Nickelback Chandon Sullivan is a pending free agent, as is Duke Shelley, who started five games at the end of last season.
Murphy, who turned 25 in January, is coming off a season in which he played just nine games for the Arizona Cardinals because of a back injury. He missed five games before going on injured reserve Dec. 24.
Murphy’s highlight of the season came in Week 2, when he returned a fumble in overtime to give the Cardinals a win over the Las Vegas Raiders. It was the longest fumble in overtime returned for a touchdown in NFL history.
The former second-round pick finished his season with 36 tackles, including 29 solo, 3 tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, half a sack, 4 passes defended, 2 fumbles recovered and a touchdown.
Murphy had established himself as the Cardinals’ No. 1 corner before his injury.
He has 5 interceptions, 34 passes defended and 229 tackles in his career.
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com