Depleted at cornerback, the Vikings are making an addition. Well-traveled corner Fabian Moreau has a deal in place with Minnesota, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo.
Moreau spent the bulk of last season as Patrick Surtain‘s boundary sidekick in Denver. The Broncos moved Moreau into their starting lineup midway through the season, and the veteran helped stabilize the position during the team’s five-game win streak. This will be team No. 6 for Moreau.
A tragedy began the Vikings’ issues at corner this month. Fourth-round rookie Khyree Jackson died in a car accident earlier this month. Soon after, the Vikes lost Mekhi Blackmon — a part-time starter last season — to a torn ACL. In need in its Byron Murphy-fronted position group, Minnesota will hope Moreau can remain a solid option in his age-30 season.
Moreau has made a habit of moving from late-summer addition to starter, having done so in each of the past two years. The Texans rostered Moreau during the 2022 offseason but cut him before setting their initial 53-man roster. The ex-Washington third-rounder made his way to the Giants, who turned to him as an 11-game starter despite not signing him from the practice squad until late September of that year. The Broncos added Moreau a year ago Thursday, and although the team’s plan was to keep Damarri Mathis in place as the perimeter starter opposite Surtain, Moreau took over during a stretch that helped revive the team’s playoff chances.
Pro Football Focus assigned Moreau a mid-pack grade (73rd) last season; he intercepted one pass and broke up seven more. After allowing a whopping eight touchdowns as the closest defender with the Falcons in 2021 and five as a Giant, Moreau settled down and yielded only one in Denver. While Moreau has not approached his 34.1 passer rating-allowed number from 2020 since, he has experience as a boundary defender and a slot player.
More to come.