Brandon Flowers expected to sign in 3-5 days

Brandon Flowers made the Pro Bowl last season, but it’s clear that he was voted in to the meaningless showcase event by reputation only. He had the worst year of his career last season, as the Kansas City Chiefs utilized a new type of press-man coverage scheme under defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. A finesse player, Flowers clearly didn’t fit this new system, and he had a below-average season. But the main reason why the Chiefs shopped Flowers before ultimately releasing him (and the reason why nobody wanted to trade for him) was his bloated salary, and he clearly wasn’t giving the Chiefs enough bang on the buck.

Both he and Chris Houston are quality veteran corners available on the free agent market, with Flowers being the biggest prize. He isn’t getting any younger, but he’s still in his prime at 28 and should still be a very good corner in a scheme that fits him better. After all, Flowers was one of the very best corners in the league in 2011, and he was solid in 2012 before the schematic switch.

Per 1500ESPN.com’s Darren Wolfson, Flowers is expected to sign sometime in the next three to five days, and he added that he would be “surprised” if the Minnesota Vikings (the team he covers) signs Flowers, as they have shown only minimal interest in the former Chiefs star. The 5’9″ CB has a scorching hot free agent market, and the Detroit Lions look like one of the contenders after cutting Houston due to his combination of salary and injury woes. Of course, there are plenty of other potential fits for Flowers, as plenty of teams could use a talented corner who can play inside or outside.

As for the Vikings not being a likely suitor, it makes plenty of sense given the promise Xavier Rhodes showed as a rookie, as well as the signings of Captain Munnerlyn and Derek Cox this offseason. Cox is a reclamation project for the Vikings, as he was a great player for the Jacksonville Jaguars before having an awful 2013 in which he fell off a cliff in his first season under a big deal for the San Diego Chargers. The big CB was burned repeatedly, and he was so bad that they cut him outright. He’s a talented player, though, and I like his chances of bouncing back big-time under Mike Zimmer, who is an ace with experienced DBs.