Kevin O’Connell May Have Bet Correctly on Johnny Mundt
Josh Frey
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Following Tyler Conklin’s departure from the Minnesota Vikings to the New York Jets, it seemed that Minnesota had a clear lack of depth at tight end behind Irv Smith Jr. Making it even more concerning was the fact that Smith missed the entirety of the 2021 season with a torn meniscus. New head coach Kevin O’Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips brought in Johnny Mundt from the LA Rams, but other than that, the Vikings tight end position has largely been left untouched.
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Heading into training camp, many people (myself included) were left wondering why the position seemed so barren. These concerns led many to speculate whether a reunion with Kyle Rudolph could be in order, at least, until the veteran decided to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then, Eric Ebron was another name on the table. I even tossed out Jimmy Graham as a potential TE2.
Through it all, the Vikings remained steadfast with their plan. O’Connell had given hints that he had faith in Mundt, but surely a player with just 10 receptions in five NFL seasons wasn’t enough of a threat to be the true TE2 for a team, right?
Well, perhaps O’Connell and Phillips are on to something with Mundt. Over the first few days of camp, all reports are saying that Mundt has been very impressive as the second tight end behind the third-year Smith. On the very first day of practice, he made an impressive catch over Harrison Smith.
With a revamped offense the second tight end is not nearly as vital as it would have been in previous years for the Vikings. Minnesota used to run two-TE sets regularly, but in O’Connell’s offense, it seems much more probable that they will be using one tight end in passing downs.
That said, some competent pass-catching behind Smith goes a long way. As aforementioned, Smith missed all of 2021 with a meniscus injury, and that was supposed to be his year to put on his “breakout”. Now he has to do it in 2022 before becoming a free agent, and there is no real safety blanket of Tyler Conklin anymore, unless Mundt proves to be a solid receiver as well as blocker.
It’s hard to truly gauge how well Johnny Mundt is adapting to this sort of role without being in a real game, but for now, it seems like the sixth-year veteran is playing well in training camp to this point. We’ll see what type of role he plays when the Minnesota Vikings take the field for their first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders on August 14th.
