Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY SportsCredit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
Over the past little bit, I’ve been unveiling a position-by-position roster projection for the Vikings. Finishing things off is the Vikings’ special teams.
Minnesota’s desire is to have a balanced team. True, the offense and defense may lack the abundance of elite talent to be among the very best in the NFL, but seeing them flirt with the top-ten won’t be surprising. Similarly, the Vikings’ special teams have the capacity to be quite good. How high is the ceiling?
The Vikings’ Special Teams Competition
Begin with the certainty.
Unless something truly unforeseen happens, Andrew DePaola is going to be snapping the ball. The man has done nothing but make the All Pro team since Kevin O’Connell took over. In 2022, DePaola finished as a first-team All Pro; as an encore, DePaola finished as a second-team All Pro in 2023. In both seasons, the veteran made the Pro Bowl.
Minnesota doesn’t have another long snapper on the roster. He’ll turn 37 on July 28th but isn’t slowing down.
Feb 4, 2023; Paradise, NV, USA; NFC long snapper Andrew DePaola of the Minnesota Vikings (42) during practice at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
At kicker, things are a bit more interesting.
The combatants are John Parker Romo and Will Reichard. The former is coming out of the XFL and has been a bit of a journeyman, picking up some NFL work with the Saints, Lions, and Bears without actually playing in any games.
Meanwhile, Reichard is coming out of Alabama and has been getting plenty of hype. Not too long ago, PurplePTSD‘s Janik Eckardt responded to some of that hype, concluding that the rookie is the favorite: “Reichard should be considered the overwhelming favorite to win the job in training camp, but it remains to be seen how he fares in the preseason and when the regular season begins on September 8.”
Nov 11, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide place kicker Will Reichard (16) celebrates with Alabama Crimson Tide running back Jam Miller (26) during the first quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
And then one thinks of the field position battle and the punter position.
Ryan Wright took a step back as a sophomore. The 2022 UDFA had a great rookie season, averaging 42.3 yards per punt and only booting a single touchback. The 2023 season, however, went much differently. There were 7 touchbacks and the yards-per-punt average dropped to 41.6.
In response to the regression, the Vikings have added Seth Vernon. Vernon is similar to Wright insofar as he’s also an UDFA. The difference, though, is that he didn’t catch on with the Falcons in 2022. He’s now looking to prove to Matt Daniels that he belongs in Minnesota to function as the P1.
Expect both players to get their chances to punt in the preseason.
Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings punter Ryan Wright. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
Obviously, the Vikings will be rolling with three specialists, one per position. At long snapper, look for Andrew DePaola. At kicker, look for Will Reichard. At punter, look for Ryan Wright.
Before training camp arrives, I’ll be doing a position-by-position roster projection in an effort to understand what the final 53-man roster could look like. Once training camp and the preseason unfold, we can swing back around to the projections to see about any adjustments. Entries: Quarterback, Running Back, Tight End, Wide Receiver, Offensive Line (Complete Offense), Defensive Line, Edge Rusher, Linebacker, Corner, and Safety (Complete Defense).
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.
Source link : https://purpleptsd.com/2024/vikings/opinion/vikings-special-teams-battle-1/
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Publish date : 2024-07-17 09:15:00
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