Report: Tramaine Brock Not Expected To Play Tonight

With Drew Brees and the high-powered New Orleans Saints offense coming to town this evening, it appears as though the Minnesota Vikings are going to be without the newest member of their secondary.

Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, it sounds like cornerback Tramaine Brock will not be suiting up tonight. Brock was one of two members of the team that was actually listed on the injury report, as he’s been nursing a groin injury.

With Brock not suiting up on Monday night, I would have to assume we’re going to see a lot of Terence Newman in the role of slot cornerback, with Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes spending most of their time on the outsides. The team doesn’t appear to have much faith in second-year corner Mackensie Alexander, who had a pretty rough rookie season and followed it up with another rough preseason. The prevailing wisdom is that Alexander’s lack of progress is what necessitated the trade for Brock in the first place.

We’re going to have to hope that all three of the Vikings’ primary corners stay healthy. Rhodes seems to be good for at least a few plays a game where he goes to the sideline after getting banged up, and Waynes dealt with some injury issues during the preseason. With the Saints’ offense, it’s going to have to be all hands on deck all night long for the Vikings’ defense, particularly in light of Brock’s likely absence.