The Vikings Have a Few In-House Options for Their Week 1 Kick Returner
On Wednesday evening, the Minnesota Vikings placed RB Kene Nwangwu on IR.
Minnesota has relied on Nwangwu’s prowess as a kick returner to lead the way at the spot over the past two seasons, but now, they have to patch that position up for the first four weeks of the season.
Luckily, the Vikings have a few in-house options for that responsibility already. Here is a look at a few of the players who could take on the kick returning duties until Nwangwu is eligible to return in Week 5.
WR Brandon Powell
Brandon Powell may be the leader for this position heading into the season. He has extensive history as a return man at both the NCAA and NFL levels.
During his collegiate seasons at Florida, Powell returned 33 kicks for 671 yards, averaging 20.3 yards per return. Over his first four seasons in the NFL, the receiver has garnered 57 kick returns for 1199 yards, maintaining a steady average of 21 yards per return.
However, Powell is likely the man who will be returning punts as well and has proven to be much more successful in this area. If the Vikings want to go in a different direction for their kick returner, they have a couple other options.
RB Ty Chandler
Ty Chandler saw a limited role on the 2022 Vikings, partly because of a broken thumb that landed him on IR. However, that looks to change in 2023 as he steps into an RB2 role. He also could be the new kick returner to begin the season. After all, Kevin O’Connell recently indicated that Chandler will get the first opportunity to replace Nwangwu (shout out to Will Ragatz).
While Chandler didn’t get any opportunities in this role last year, he did over his first three seasons at Tennessee. In those three seasons, Chandler returned 34 kicks for 780 yards (an average of 22.9 yards per return) and during his freshman season of 2017, he broke off a return TD as well.
The Vikings actually have tested him out at this spot before. During the 2022 preseason, Chandler got one kick returning opportunity against the Las Vegas Raiders, and he returned it for 56 yards. This is a positive sign that the running back is plenty capable of returning kicks at the NFL level if needed during the 2023 season.
WR K.J. Osborn
Finally, if neither Chandler or Powell work out, perhaps the Vikings can turn to WR K.J. Osborn at kick returner. During his rookie season of 2020, this is how Osborn got on the field, returning 14 kicks for 303 yards.
Osborn also got plenty of reps at this spot during college. Over the final three seasons of his collegiate career, the receiver totaled 33 kick returns that totaled 646 yards. His average of 19.6 yards wasn’t exactly inspiring, but in a pickle, he is capable of returning kicks for the Vikings this season.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.