An Overlooked Roster Change the Vikings Could Make in 2023
The Minnesota Vikings are set to go through a number of changes during this upcoming offseason at multiple positions. The most notable changes likely will come on the defensive side of the ball, but inevitably, it won’t be limited to that. In fact, an overlooked roster change the Vikings could make is at the kicker position. Here’s why Minnesota could opt to move on from Greg Joseph in 2023.
First and foremost, the kicker has certainly had his ups and downs with the Vikings over his two seasons with the team. In 2021, Joseph got off to a slow start when he missed a potential game-winning kick against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. He went on to have a solid season in 2021, making 33-of-38 field goals, including 7-of-9 from 50+ yards. He finished the season tied for the third-most makes from 50+ yards on the season.
However, 2022 didn’t go nearly as smoothly for the Vikings kicker. Minnesota didn’t outright lose a game during this season because Joseph missed a kick, but he certainly didn’t help matters in a number of games. Joseph made 26-of-33 kicks in 2022, ranking 28th out of 33 qualifying kickers with a kicking percentage of 78.8%. He also missed six extra point attempts, going 40-of-46. This 87% clip ranked 24th out of 26 qualifying kickers.
Joseph didn’t have nearly as much success on longer kicks this season as he did in 2021, either. He was one of eight kickers to attempt 10+ kicks from 50+ yards, but he ranked 16th in makes from that distance by only making four of them.
Of course, Joseph did have some highlights along the way, including nailing a franchise-record 61-yard field goal to clinch the NFC North against the New York Giants in Week 16. However, that does not change the fact that, percentage-wise, Joseph remained one of the bottom-10 kickers in the league.
This very well could prompt the Vikings to move on from their kicker. There were inklings that this could happen even during the 2022 training camp when they brought in rookie Gabe Brkic, and he stuck around for much of the period.
Where would the Vikings go, though? Well, on this very site, Kyle Joudry outlined the potential for a pursuit of Robbie Gould in free agency. Gould made 27-of-32 field goals and 50-of-51 extra points in 2022. Of course, he’s getting up there in age (he will turn 41 during the 2023 season), so he wouldn’t be a long-term solution.
That being said, Gould is one of the better kickers in the league year after year. Particularly in the playoffs, he is absolute money. In his playoff appearances, Gould is yet to miss a kick. He’s made 29-of-29 field goals, and he’s made 39-of-39 extra points in 16 playoff games throughout his career.
Even if the Vikings don’t go after Gould, there are multitudes of kickers out there waiting to be discovered. It will be interesting to see how Minnesota approaches the position during this upcoming offseason.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
