Vikings Signed a Veteran to Fix the Secondary. Forty-Eight Hours Later, They're Starting Over.

The plan was straightforward enough: bring in Jamal Adams, pair him with Joshua Metellus, and give the secondary an experienced voice while the young pieces developed around it. Adams signed July 28. He played 12 snaps in the preseason opener against New York, went down with a non-contact knee injury, and by Sunday was on IR for the season. Start to finish, the whole thing lasted about three weeks.

The Vikings responded by signing cornerback Bryce Phillips, which is a transaction, not a solution. What Minnesota actually has now is Caleb Banks, the draft class they invested in heavily this spring, and whatever Metellus can anchor from the safety spot — assuming he's healthy, and his status has been listed as questionable. That's the group. The veteran stabilizer is gone before he took a meaningful rep.

I've written this story twice in three days, so I'll keep it short: the secondary situation is what it is, and the Vikings have to live with it. The offense is in reasonable shape — Jefferson, Mason, Hockenson, and the line are all intact, and McCarthy's second season has a real supporting cast around it. Eric Wilson gives the defense a credible linebacker. But the back end is young and thin, and there's no quick fix available at this point in August. Phillips helps at the margin. Banks has to be ready. The draft class has to contribute.

Whether that's enough won't be known until the games count.