A Common Vikings Cut Candidate Gave Himself a Fresh Shot at Re-Emerging for Minnesota
Fans won’t have to look too far to see articles discussing Jalen Reagor as being among the Vikings cut candidates.
Indeed, the soon-to-be 4th-year receiver has had an underwhelming start to his NFL career. Infamously selected a spot ahead of Justin Jefferson, Reagor has struggled to distinguish himself as a difference maker for either the offense or the special teams. Will things be any different in the upcoming season?
For whatever it’s worth, the Seattle game did offer some reason for optimism. Kevin O’Connell even had some good things to say after the game, praising Reagor (alongside Jordan Addison) for getting “going with some plays.”
The Vikings Cut Candidate: Jalen Reagor
During the summer, I spent a few moments discussing the possibility of moving on from Reagor.
Pieces on PurplePTSD (Exhibit A & B) and Vikings Territory (Exhibit A & B) had considered the possibility. In my estimation, it was time to explore the topic a little further. I summarized some of the issue: “Jalen Reagor is making essentially no impact on offense. His primary responsibility – returning punts – didn’t go well. Very seldom did he actually take the football back for a large gain. Much more common was modest yardage, making it more difficult for the offense to work down the field to pick up points.”
I then offered the following conclusion:
Entering Year 4 in the NFL, Jalen Reagor finds himself in an unenviable position. He needs to overcome doubt from without and within just to stick around his team’s final roster. The absolute best thing he can do is show that he’s capable of providing safe explosion as a punt returner: catch the ball cleanly every time, maintain possession through tackles, and consistently threaten to pick up chunk yardage.
Yes, the WR’s best shot at making a tangible impact in 2023 rests in being an explosive punt returner. Justin Jefferson isn’t going anywhere. Jordan Addison and K.J. Osborn essentially have the WR2 and WR3 jobs wrapped up. At best, Reagor will be the WR4 for Kevin O’Connell and Kirk Cousins.
In Seattle, the former Eagle did plenty to show that he’ll challenge for the WR4 spot.
With Nick Mullens slinging the football, Reagor finished his day with 4 catches (4 targets) for 55 yards. The 13.8 YPC average is encouraging, especially since he had a catch go for 25 yards. Reagor held onto the football on a different play, one that drew a flag due to the defender’s hit:
A single strong effort in the preseason won’t be enough to overcome all of the doubt, but Reagor’s strong day is definitely a positive development.
Getting him from the City of Brotherly Love to the The Gopher State involved Kwesi Adofo-Mensah shipping a conditional 5th alongside a 7th to Philly. Only 24, Reagor had 8 catches, 104 yards, and a single TD last season. His 26 punt returns went for just 167 yards, resulting in a poor 6.4 yards-per-return average. He carries a $2.42 million cap charge into the season.
The upcoming Titans week — complete with a pair of joint practices to go alongside the preseason game — will be another opportunity for Jalen Reagor to prove he belongs on the final roster.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
