Out of football since Dec. 16, defensive back Bobby McCain is back in an NFL training camp with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings announced on Monday that they had signed the former Oxford High School standout after he worked out for the team on Sunday. Terms were not disclosed.
McCain comes aboard with Minnesota dealing with injury problems in its secondary. Mekhi Blackmon and Shaquill Griffin projected as two of Vikings’ top three cornerbacks for 2024, along with Byron Murphy. But Blackmon is out for the season after sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Minnesota’s first full-team practice of training camp on Wednesday, and Griffin is currently sidelined by leg issues. Another Vikings cornerback, fourth-round draft pick Khyree Jackson, died in a traffic accident on July 6.
During his nine NFL seasons, McCain played for Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores when he was the Miami Dolphins’ head coach in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
“Love Bobby,” Flores said on Monday. “Bobby loves playing football. He’s smart. He’s physical. He’s played multiple positions over the course of his career. Lot of familiarity. He’s got leadership, for sure. Communicates well. And I was excited that we had an opportunity to get him. I’m glad he’s here.”
McCain had started 16 games for the Washington Commanders in 2022 when he signed with the New York Giants as a free agent on March 21, 2023. But for the first time in his NFL career, McCain was an afterthought on defense. He played on defense in only two games for a total of 19 snaps for the Giants in 2023. McCain was on the field for 119 special-teams plays for New York before being released on Dec. 16.
In the 2015 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins selected McCain in the fifth round from Memphis, where he was a four-year starter at cornerback.
McCain spent most of his first three seasons with Miami working at slot corner. In 2018, McCain became a regular starter at outside corner for the Dolphins before shifting to safety for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. After signing with the Commanders, McCain started 32 games in his two seasons with Washington.
McCain has played in 130 NFL regular-season games. He has 394 tackles, 11 interceptions, 12 tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles in his NFL career. He has been on the field for 5,942 defensive snaps and 828 special-teams plays.
Minnesota starts its three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders and kicks off its regular-season slate on Sept. 8 against the Giants.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
