Mekhi Blackmon tears ACL, expected to miss 2024 season

Mekhi Blackmon tears ACL, expected to miss 2024 season

On the second full day of training camp, Minnesota Vikings second-year cornerback Mekhi Blackmon suffered a torn ACL and is expected to miss the entirety of the 2024 NFL Season, Vikings beat reporter and insider Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune was among the first to report Wednesday evening.

Source said #Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon tore his ACL today. Quite a blow for a CB group that needs depth, and a promising second-year player.

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) July 25, 2024

That’s a brutal blow to a Vikings secondary that desperately needs help, especially at corner.

Blackmon, their third-round draftee in 2023, outplayed expectations as a rookie, improving throughout the season alongside Byron Murphy and Akayleb Evans. He tallied 41 total tackles–34 solo–with three tackles-for-loss and eight pass deflections and one interception, which came in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints.

What a moment to nab your 1st career INT@MekhiBlackmon

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/C41YPNOtmn

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 12, 2023

Christian Darrisaw signs four-year extension with Vikings

Blackmon’s injury leaves Murphy, Evans, Shaquill Griffin and swiss army knife Josh Metellus as the four best corners on the roster. Griffin, who signed a one-year deal worth up to $6 million in March, and Murphy are likely the two starters on the outside with Metellus in the slot. Proceeding them on the depth chart are Duke Shelley–who signed with the team on Tuesday after being cut from the roster in 2022–Andrew Booth and AJ Green III, among others. It’s not a deep room.

This could be a huge next few weeks for Booth, Minnesota’s second-round draftee in 2022 who’s underwhelmed in each of his first two seasons. The secondary sorely needs any kind of production it can get. Any help should be welcome–especially when Brian Flores’ scheme relies on the back end to hold up.

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