Byron Murphy

This offseason, Murphy signed with the Vikings, with whom he's expected to hold down a starting cornerback role. He played just nine games last season due to a back injury and had fair production with 36 tackles, two fumble recoveries (one returned for a touchdown) and a half sack. Murphy graded slightly above average as a pass defender, however, meaning he could be an impact player for a Minnesota unit that struggled in that realm.

Murphy hasn't had a problem making an impact on stat sheets through three campaigns, averaging per-17-game tallies of 69.8 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, 1.1 fumble recoveries and 0.9 sacks per year. The 2019 second-round pick logged at least 95 percent of the snaps on defense in two of those campaigns, and with just 2021 fourth-rounder Marco Wilson and not much else pushing for playing time at cornerback, Murphy again should be heavily utilized in the Cardinals defense.

Murphy has endeared himself to the Cardinals since they picked him in the second round of the 2019 Draft. Through two seasons, he's missed just one game (due to COVID-19) and otherwise totaled 129 tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and one interception in 31 contests. Now with Malcolm Butler on the other side instead of Patrick Peterson, Murphy could be in line for yet another fruitful campaign.

Working opposite Patrick Peterson as a rookie second-round pick in 2019, Murphy didn't fare well in reality, as evidenced by a 48.8 grade from Pro Football Focus. The mark was fueled by a league-worst nine touchdown passes allowed, but his stat line otherwise was modestly healthy (78 tackles, 10 passes defended and one interception). The tackle count ranked third among Cardinals defenders behind Jordan Hicks and Budda Baker. If Murphy continues to get picked on by opposing quarterbacks, he has a chance to retain that spot behind his teammates.