Should We Buckle Up for a Vikings Long Snapper Battle?
K. Joudry
|
Andrew DePaola accomplished some marvellous things as the Vikings long snapper in 2022.
A bit of a journeyman, DePaola snagged a first-team All Pro for his efforts last year. He then signed a record-setting deal so that he could stick around town. At 35, DePaola isn’t getting any younger, but there isn’t too much reason to believe he won’t be able to find success in the short-term.
Some added competition for the well-accomplished veteran, perhaps, is Karsten Battles, who played his college ball at Oregon. He was invited to the rookie mini camp.
Generally speaking, it’s a wise approach to be continually making players earn their spot. On special teams, the principle can be particularly pronounced since the skills are so individualized. Minnesota will only have a single punter, kicker, and long snapper on the final roster. As a result, the players at these positions often find themselves in direct one-to-one combat for the lonely roster spot at that position (a corner, in contrast, will find himself in competition with 10+ others).
The first thing to note about Battles is that he looks the part. At 6’1″, 240 pounds, Battles has an almost identical build to the veteran DePaola (who is 6’1″, 229 pounds). Don’t forget that a LS has to be able to block effectively and then hustle down the field to contribute in coverage (at least on punts). Finding a nice size balance is a necessity.
Battles played at Oregon but was only involved in 4 games between 2019-21. In 2022, his games played total increased by 13. Whatever he did in his senior season obviously made him stand out since he’s getting an opportunity with the Vikings.
Truth be told, the former Duck is a long shot to overcome Andrew DePaola (or even snag a spot on the 90-man offseason roster). Minnesota is likely getting some extra intel on someone whom they think highly of while flirting with the idea of increasing the competition for their veteran. If the unlikely occurs and DePaola gets hurt, then maybe the first call will be to Battles. In the meantime, he’ll handle snapping responsibilities in the team’s rookie mini camp.
Andrew DePaola carries a $1.297 million cap hit in the current season. Since the deal runs for 3 seasons and has a signing bonus, cutting DePaola would mean Kwesi Adofo-Mensah actually loses cap space (increasing the number to $1.515 million in 2023).
DePaola, an All Pro and Pro Bowler, had 3 tackles last season.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, Over the Cap, and Sports Reference CFB helped with this piece.
