Stephon

Gilmore

Gilmore missed two games with the hamstring issue but is good to go for Week 16. Harrison Smith, on the other hand, is listed as questionable with a foot issue. He was limited in Friday’s practice after being downgraded to a DNP on Thursday.

Gilmore is the only shocker after being listed as questionable following a ramp up in activity during practice this week. The Vikings continue to battle for a potential top seed out of the NFC, with a win drawing them into a three-way tie at 12-2 with only three games remaining in the regular season.

Gilmore was listed as questionable heading into the game, but it sounds like the veteran corner will miss his second consecutive game with the hamstring injury that forced him from Week 13’s game against the Cardinals. With Gilmore out, the Vikings will likely start Fabian Moreau, who is listed as the next man up on the team’s depth chart.

Gilmore was declared out on Friday with a hamstring injury he never practiced with this week. Jones II was limited with a knee injury. Many Vikings are playing on questionable tags, headlined by EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel and G Dalton Risner. Rodriguez, Feeney, and Rouse are healthy scratches.

Gilmore is dealing with a low-grade hamstring injury according to head coach Kevin Stefanski. It doesn’t sound like a long-term issue but is enough to knock him out for Week 14. Gilmore has started all 12 games for the Vikings this year, tallying seven pass breakups and one interception in the process. The Vikings still have a strong pass-rush, but their weakened secondary will be an easy target for Drake London and Darnell Mooney this week.

O’Connell added that the team does not believe Gilmore’s injury is long-term, but he is undergoing further evaluation. The veteran corner has started every game he’s appeared in for the Vikings this season, earning a PFF coverage grade of 62.7 while allowing 45 catches for 428 yards and three touchdowns. Given the nature of these soft tissue injuries, it wouldn’t be surprising if Gilmore missed at least one game, but we’ll have a better sense of his availability when the team releases its first practice report on Wednesday.

It only felt like a matter of time until this deal got done. In desperate need of help in their secondary, the Vikings met with Gilmore last week and have now inked him to a deal that includes $7 million in guaranteed money. He can earn up to $10 million on the deal. Gilmore will turn 34 next month and spent all of last season with the Cowboys. He was shoehorned into a CB1 role after the Cowboys lost Trevon Diggs early in the season but played reasonably well, earning a PFF coverage grade of 72.3. His best days are almost certainly behind him, but Gilmore can still provide plenty of help to a secondary that allowed the ninth-most receiving yards per game last season.

The Vikings are working to improve a secondary that has been dealt a handful of injuries in recent weeks. They recently made a cornerback swap with the Cowboys, sending Andrew Booth to Dallas in exchange for Nashon Wright, and her now hoping to land another former Cowboy in Gilmore. Gilmore, 33, totaled 68 tackles and two interceptions last season and was tasked with playing a CB1 role following the loss of Trevon Diggs to a torn ACL in September last season. Gilmore can still provide plenty of help on the outside and is a great veteran presence in any locker room. He earned a PFF coverage grade of 72.3 last season.

The 12-year veteran cornerback started all 17 games for the Cowboys in 2023 but was not re-signed following the season. Gilmore is not short on accomplishments during his illustrious career, having earned five Pro Bowl nods, two All-Pro honors, and a defensive player of the year award and even received above average grades across the board from PFF in his 12th season last year. Even so, Gilmore is likely looking at a veteran minimum contract at this point in the offseason unless he waits for injuries to start piling up once the season begins.

This report comes via CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, who spoke to the veteran free agent. Gilmore, 33, played on 999 defense snaps for the Cowboys last season, earning a PFF coverage grade of 72.3 while allowing 50 receptions for 653 yards and four touchdowns on the year. The veteran corner still has plenty to offer as a second corner, but his interest in returning for “the right opportunity” likely means he’d prefer to join a postseason contender. Plenty of teams should be interested in his services, but it’s possible he won’t land a deal until closer to training camp.