Minnesota Vikings: CB Trae Waynes showing progression
Minnesota Vikings second-year cornerback Trae Waynes is showing significant signs of improvement in his sophomore training camp…
The Minnesota Vikings have a plethora of young talent, and it’s easy for us to forget about some of it. In 2015, they used a first round draft pick on cornerback Trae Waynes out of Michigan State, a really good young player who was instantly buried on the depth chart behind Xavier Rhodes and Terence Newman.
In his rookie season, Waynes led the Vikings’ special teams unit with 14 tackles, and had his first career interception in the playoffs against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks.
With Newman still on the roster and Rhodes really emerging as a top cornerback in his own right, first-team reps are going to be tough to come by for the former Spartans star. He earned some reps with the top unit on Tuesday after Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer gave the veteran Newman the day off, and he was really solid.
"He seems a lot more comfortable in everything he's doing. I've been working with him a bit to finish plays." - Coach Zimmer on @TWaynes_15
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 31, 2016
Nice battle on deep pass between last years rookie trae Waynes and this years Laquon Treadwell Waynes wins it
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) July 31, 2016
Zimmer said he had an encouraging conversation with Trae Waynes yesterday, and he's responded with a good showing today.
— Sam Ekstrom (@SamEkstrom) July 31, 2016
Trae Waynes, getting run w/ 1's today, picks off Teddy Bridgewater on the first play of team drills.
— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) August 4, 2016
In good news, it looks like the light is coming on for Trae Waynes.
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) August 4, 2016
This is all very welcome and encouraging news for Vikings fans. This is one of the best young defenses in the league, and the ‘addition’ of Waynes is only going to make it that much deeper. The Vikings also used a second round pick this year on Clemson’s Mackensie Alexander, so the talent in the secondary there is rich.
Waynes should definitely see added opportunity in his second year with this team, and could be a breakout player for this defense.