Questions Answered: A Baffling Roster Cut, No Luck on Tretter, the Final WR
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the August 25th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
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Q: Aren’t the Vikings playing with fire by cutting the punter — the kicker’s preferred holder?
A: Yes, but you must take solace knowing they’re not in the business of self-sabotage.
Most folks believe Berry was the frontrunner to keep the punting job because of familiarity with Greg Joseph. The Vikings had different plans. Incidentally, Joseph was six for six on Thursday via field goals with Ryan Wright as the holder, so perhaps opting for Wright wasn’t a doomsday move.
Ultimately, Berry was a decent, not great, punter in 2021. The Vikings are evidently striving for better-than-decent.
Q: Tretter wanted the Vikings. Why didn’t the Vikings want Tretter?
A: Tretter has been plagued by injuries in the last few years. Apparently, he didn’t really practice but still showed up on gamedays.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah worked with Tretter in Cleveland. He, more than most, knew what Tretter was capable of — and about his limitations. Tretter made all the sense in the world to join the Vikings, a team habitually beset by poor pass protection at center. But they were not interested in Tretter. Otherwise, they’d return Tretter’s calls.
Tretter retired. End of story. Time to move on for all parties, including fans who wanted Tretter.
Q: Who wins the Vikings final WR job?
A: We’ll predict Jalen Nailor, chiefly because he was drafted by this front office.
Myron Mitchell and Trishton Jackson deserved consideration, too, but Nailor can also return punts — and is being groomed for it throughout the summer.
With minimal certainty, our guess is Nailor, solely because of his speed and draft placement.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
