Kwesi Got it Wright
Ted Schwerzler
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Special teams have been anything but special for the Minnesota Vikings in recent history. Whether dating back to Gary Anderson, Mike Zimmer cutting a drafted kicker, or Dan Bailey flopping after a strong career, the kicking game has not been good. There have been less misses for the punters, but if you’ll excuse the pun, it appears Kwesi got it Wright. The Vikings front office nailed it with rookie punter Ryan Wright.
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Coming in and wanting to replace veteran Jordan Berry, new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took a chance on an undrafted rookie out of Tulane. Ryan Wright is listed at 6’3” 245 pounds. It’s no secret when he lines up to blast a kick that he’s hardly the smallest of special teams players. That doesn’t at all detract from his athleticism or ability, and he’s been proving it all season long.
When Wright blasted a punt inside the five-yard line on Saturday against the New York Giants, it wound up in the end zone for his first touchback of the season. With 70 punts under his belt this season, it was only the one in which Jalen Nailor misplayed that found the end zone. For Wright, this has been nothing short of an exceptional debut campaign.
Although long-snapper Andrew DePaola is heading to the Pro Bowl (or selected and not participating when Minnesota ultimately reaches the Super Bowl), Wright has plenty of a case to make on his own as well. Multiple times this season Wright has been the difference in flipping the field for the Vikings, and his 73-yard bomb represents the 7th longest effort in the NFL this season.
From an average standpoint, Wright has been close to the middle of the pack, but it’s in giving his defenders a chance where he has shined. Looking at net averages, Wright has averaged 43.4 yards per punt, good for 6th in the NFL and just two yards shy of the league lead. His 32 punts inside the 20 are only one off the league lead, and his only blocked kick came in the doozy that was the NFL’s greatest comeback in history.
With the Vikings having a markedly improved offense this season, they have been able to generate points behind the arm of Kirk Cousins and legs of Dalvin Cook. Justin Jefferson has been nothing short of revolutionary, and head coach Kevin O’Connell has Minnesota constantly looking like a shark in the water with the ball. On the defensive side of things, the story has been less ideal. Ed Donatell’s group has struggled, and opposing teams have had little trouble driving the ball down the field.
Thanks to the efforts of the rookie punter, Minnesota has consistently forced the opposition to travel long distances down the field. Even if they are giving up chunk yardage in the secondary, changing the field with booming blasts has been a nice sight to see. There has been a drastic difference from the output Minnesota fans saw from Berry a year ago, and while the position can remain fickle each season, it appears the Vikings may have an answer for a while.
A punter is hardly going to get the accolades a star quarterback or defensive player may receive, but on a team that has been as lopsided as Minnesota has, controlling the special teams results is paramount. Wright has proven he’s been worth the risk, and Minnesota continues to benefit from taking it.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.