Okudah missed most of the 2024 season with a serious hip injury he sustained in the season opener. He was used as a rotational corner in the final weeks of the regular season and into the postseason. Okudah, 26, has two interceptions and 14 passes defended since entering the league in 2020. In Minnesota, he’ll join a defense graded by Pro Football Focus as last season’s 16th best coverage unit.

Okudah was activated off IR in early November for the Texans, but was barely part of the defensive game plan. He played 38 snaps against the Chiefs in Week 16, but otherwise his season-high in a game was just 17. He finished with a putrid 29.3 PFF coverage grade, but of course that was a fairly small sample size of just 79 snaps. Okudah has not really shown any better than that in his previous four seasons, sadly. He’d fight for an outside job with the Vikings if signed.

Okudah has been on injured reserve since September 11th after he suffered a hip injury in Week 1. The former first-rounder did not play a defensive snap in his first and only game and will likely serve as added depth for the Texans’ secondary on Monday night against the Cowboys if active.

In addition to Okudah, the Texans also designated LB Jerry Hughes for return. They now have 21 days to activate both players from injured reserve or rule them out for the remainder of the season. Okudah signed a one-year deal with the Texans this offseason after spending all of 2023 with the Falcons. The former first-round pick totaled 44 tackles in 13 games while breaking up three passes last season. Hughes, who has seen limited work in four games this season has only one tackle.