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I first saw Marcus Sherels at Mankato in 2011. It was his rookie season and he was trying to make the team as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota. I was there for the first week or so of camp, and every day, the diminutive corner that had no chance to make the team kept turning heads and making plays.
Every year since, when the team heads to Mankato and we look at the improvements in the secondary and the roster overall, most of us are quick to chime in 'this is the year Marcus Sherels gets cut. No way he makes the roster.'
And every year, Marcus Sherels proves us wrong.
As his career has progressed, Sherels has found as a role as an ace punt returner and special teams player. He's officially a cornerback, and he has a role there as a dime corner, but his value to the Vikings is as a punt returner and ace special teams player.
As 2015 ended, Sherels found himself on the free agent market, and there was a real chance Sherels would be moving on. He lined up a visit with the New York Jets, and the feeling was he would be signing elsewhere:
Jets brought in defensive back Marcus Sherels for a visit
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 11, 2016
Sherels left New York without a contract, though, and Pioneer Press beat writer Chris Tomasson was the first to report a short time ago Sherels was going to re-sign with the Vikings on a two-year deal:
Source tells me Marcus Sherels has agreed to a deal to return to the #Vikings.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 12, 2016
Personally, I think it's a good deal for the Vikings. Sherels has developed into a top 10 punt returner, and has a knack for making a huge return just when the Vikings needed it most.
So Marcus Sherels returns. And so many of you will throw dirt on his grave when training camp opens. Yet when the Zombie Apocalypse hits, like Fearless Leader has said on more than one occasion, three things will survive:
1) Cockroaches
2) Twinkies
3) Marcus Sherels
Personally, I'm never counting Sherels out again.