Duke Shelley, a free agent cornerback who shined when given a significant role with the Minnesota Vikings last season, has signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Landed in Vegas.
We have signed unrestricted free agent CB Duke Shelley » https://t.co/iMpYcrx2av pic.twitter.com/aOO2lPtrhf
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) March 23, 2023
Last season, Shelley played in 11 games with five starts and finished with 30 tackles, one interception and eight passes defensed. He took on a starting role late in the season when Cam Dantzler was benched and Akayleb Evans suffered multiple concussions.
Analytically, Shelley’s small-ish sample size generated big-time results. According to Pro Football Focus, his 86.4 coverage grade ranked third in the NFL and his 84.5 man-coverage graded ranked second in the NFL. He limited opposing quarterbacks to a 59.6 passer rating, which was sixth-best among cornerbacks last season.
The Vikings have some serious depth issues at cornerback, at least for the moment. Patrick Peterson was a free agent and signed with the Steelers and Dantzler was waived before being picked up by the Commanders.
That leaves Minnesota with Byron Murphy, Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth Jr., Tay Gowan and Kalon Barnes as the only cornerbacks on the roster.
