Much is expected of Xavier Rhodes, the second of the Vikings&#8217; three first-round selections, the 25th overall pick.  (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty
Much is expected of Xavier Rhodes, the second of the Vikings' three first-round selections, the 25th overall pick. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Over the offseason, the Vikings cut one of their top defensive playmakers and watched him quickly catch on elsewhere.

Cutting cornerback Antoine Winfield saved the club $7.25 million, but it cost the team valuable experience. Now a member of the Seattle Seahawks, Winfield was a three-time Pro Bowl selection with 173 career starts, 27 career interceptions and a plethora of other highlights.

So what's left? No one's entirely sure, and it's a considerable question for a defense that last season ranked a modest 16th overall and 24th against the pass.

The team's top five veteran cornerbacks -- Chris Cook, Josh Robinson, A.J. Jefferson, Brandon Burton and Marcus Sherels -- have combined for 131 fewer starts (42) than Winfield has amassed by himself, and young players such as Bobby Felder and rookie Xavier Rhodes could be relied upon to play significant downs.

Through two games, with so much focus on the starting offense, the cornerbacks have performed solidly, allowing 513 passing yards, but there are more questions than answers right now, with spots still up for grabs, and a brutal reality haunting them: The Vikings open the season with two road games against receiving units led by Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall.

Such doubt drives his unit, defensive backs coach Joe Woods said.

"When you lose a guy like Antoine and everyone says, 'Well, what are they going to do?' it's like those guys have a chip on their shoulder and they want to say, 'Hey, we can play football too.' It's been good for the group," Woods told the Pioneer Press.

"They realize that someone has to step up, so there's a bunch of hungry guys that have swagger, that have confidence, and they want to be good."

Woods praised his group's mettle and intelligence but also acknowledged one of the pitfalls of relying on youngsters.

"It's a learning process," he said. "You can teach them the drills, but they have to go through them in live situations. I see the guys improving, but it's about the learning curve and the game-day experience when there's live bullets out there."

Much is expected of Rhodes, the second of the team's three first-round selections, the 25th overall pick. He made his debut against Buffalo after missing time because of a hamstring injury, and he deflected the pass that safety Jamarca Sanford intercepted.

But while Woods applauded the rookie for that play, he also noted that the rookie struggled once the Bills sped up their offense.

Rhodes didn't disagree.

"I feel I did all right, but looking at film, there are always things you need to correct, some technique errors," Rhodes said. "My motto is just to get better every day. I don't worry about what I did yesterday, just how I'm going to get better the next day."

Rhodes said he's not too obsessed with starting, insisting he just wants to steadily improve and help the team.

But head coach Leslie Frazier is encouraged by Rhodes so far.

"I'm really pleased that he could get out there after he was injured, and to get some experience under his belt," Frazier said. "Now, we get a chance to take another step. We'll see how he does."

With so many players angling to make the roster and earn playing time, Woods said he's stressed to all of them that there's an "open competition."

"Making this roster is not going to be based on your draft status, your resume, your reputation or how much you make," Woods said. "It's going to be based on what you do between the lines. We'll see how it shakes out at the end of the preseason."