Vikings Rumors: All Pro Chance Dwindles, Mike Zimmer One + Done, and MIN Signing a QB
Even if we’re officially in the portion of the year when Vikings rumors are quieting down, we’ll still be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss Will Reichard having a shot to be an All Pro, Mike Zimmer potentially being a one & done in Dallas, and then Minnesota looking toward free agency for some help at quarterback.
Vikings Rumors: 11.13.2024
Rumor #1 — Will Reichard May Not Be Able to Snag All Pro Honors
The rookie was off to a blazing start.
Prior to Week 9, the Alabama alumnus was perfect. He did, however, miss a pair of kicks against the Colts on Sunday Night Football. Toss those into the mix and Will Reichard is 14/16 for field goals and 23/23 for extra points. Crunch the numbers and that’s 87.5% for field goals and 100% for extra points. Had he continued on that pace, would Reichard have been named as an All Pro?
The rookie is sitting on a season-long of 58 yards and his touchback percentage sits at 89%. In other words, 40/45 kickoffs have resulted in no return. So, the kid has plenty of leg strength.
At this stage, however, Reichard seems quite unlikely to snag the distinction given that he is spending some time on the IR. Someone like Jake Bates over in Detroit is still perfect by going 14/14 on kicks. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell is arguably even more impressive at 23/24, completing 95.8% of his kicks.
Of course, it’s possible that Reichard returns and is sensational. He would need to push his field goal conversion rate well into the 90% and beyond range. Drilling some game winners would help and so, too, would some longer kicks make a difference.
So, the chance doesn’t sit at zero when it comes to the rookie being an All Pro, but the NFL is offering some great kicking so far and Reichard’s time in the infirmary complicates things.
Rumor #2 — Mike Zimmer May Not Last Beyond 2024 in Dallas
Safe to say that things haven’t been going particularly well for the Cowboys.
Mike McCarthy, no doubt, is on the hot seat. Jerry Jones has needed to calm rumors of making an in-season change. Players like Micah Parsons are even answering questions about the possibility of McCarthy being done after the season. Where does that leave Zim, who is back as the defensive coordinator?
Genuinely, Zimmer is a good defensive coach. The issue is simply that his Dallas Cowboys haven’t proven as much.
Dallas is sitting at 3-6 on the season, largely due to a 31st-ranked defense that is allowing an average of 28.8 points against per game. Ed Donatell’s lone season with the Vikings (2022) resulted in allowing an average of 25.1 points against per game, so the number over in Dallas is ugly.
The Cowboys have forced just 8 turnovers all season, tied for 23rd — Minnesota is 1st in that category, forcing 20 — and is 27th for rushing yards allowed. Any defensive coordinator (Zimmer among them) will take a ton of pride into shutting down the run, so failing in that area is sure to be a major nuisance to the crusty coach who is calling Dallas home.
If McCarthy does get canned, then it’s hard to envision a scenario where the older Zimmer sticks around with a new head coach. Indeed, the current trajectory points toward a scenario where the veteran coach could be let go after a single season.
Rumor #3 — The Vikings Ought to Consider Signing a Specific Free Agent at QB
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is the originator for this one.
Sam Darnold had a rough day on Sunday, which is putting it lightly. One of the reactions came courtesy of Florio, who wondered aloud if signing Ryan Tannehill made sense: “Is it crazy to wonder what Kevin O’Connell could do with Ryan Tannehill down the stretch? Because it really looks like the Sam Darnold chariot has turned back into a pumpkin.”
Is it crazy to think about replacing Darnold with Tannehill? In a word: yes.
At this stage, the Vikings are full steam ahead with Sam Darnold. No one thinks he’s the perfect QB, but he’s the passer who best gives Minnesota a chance to compete in 2024. After all, the team is even sitting on 6% Super Bowl odds, so things aren’t completely dire in Eagan, MN.
The team’s leadership has consistently articulated support for Darnold, so there’s very, very little reason to believe that they would go back on those earlier proclamations of confidence at this stage.
The only thing that could plausibly get Mr. Tannehill over to Minnesota is an injury. So far, though, the only QB injury in 2024 has been to J.J. McCarthy, who suffered a knee ailment that sidelined the rookie passer before the season got underway. Otherwise, Darnold has needed to catch his breath for a few moments, but has been healthy and available almost 100% of the time.
Look for Sam Darnold to keep leading the charge as 2024 continues to march toward the playoffs.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.