Ousted Vikings Kicker Stays in the Divison
The Minnesota Vikings made many changes in their 2024 offseason, none bigger than Kirk Cousins’ departure, maneuvering the organization towards a future with J.J. McCarthy under center. Sam Darnold is taking over the keys until he can hand it to the tenth overall pick. Someone who doesn’t need any time is kicker Will Reichard.
Expelled Vikings Kicker Stays in the Divison
Reichard has taken the vacant job of exiled kicker Greg Joseph, who was not retained and moved to the Green Bay Packers in free agency. Despite having the pole position in training camp over sophomore Anders Carlson ‒ yes, Daniel’s brother ‒ Joseph was cut last month and was a free agent for a couple of weeks.
On Tuesday, however, he joined Detroit’s practice squad, according to Ari Meirov on X: “The Lions are signing veteran kicker Greg Joseph to their practice squad, per agent @TesslerSports.”
His referenced agent, Brett Tessler, confirmed on the same platform: “The Detroit Lions just signed my kicker Greg Joseph to their practice squad. 7-year vet was last with Green Bay and spent three prior seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.”
Detroit employs kicker Jake Bates, who starred in the UFL, and his electric performances in the spring league landed him in the NFL. In his college days, he only handled kickoff duties. His first attempted in-game field goal since high school was a 64-yard game-winner, and he nailed it. He hit two more field goals of at least 60 yards in the same UFL season.
Veteran kicker and Bates’ competition Michael Badgley suffered a season-ending injury in warmups before a practice session in training camp, opening the door for Bates to win the gig.
Detroit’s problem is that Bates doesn’t have an extensive track record despite hitting two short-field goals and two extra points in the season opener. Besides his campaign in the UFL (he hit 17 of 22 field goals) and the few kicks in the preseason, his field goal-kicking experience is non-existent.
That’s where the experienced Joseph comes into play. If Bates struggles, Joseph could just replace him. He can now build some chemistry with the long snapper and the holder to be ready in an emergency.
In three seasons with the Vikings, Joseph appeared in 51 games, hitting 83 of 101 field goals and 112 of 124 extra points. The latter was a major concern for a while. He still holds the record for the longest field goal in the franchise’s history, a 61-yard game-winner against the New York Giants on Christmas Eve in 2022.
Minnesota, meanwhile, has acquired Reichard in the sixth round of the 2024 draft. In his NFL debut, he hit four extra points and was not asked to kick a field goal, but his preseason and training camp were promising.
Joseph’s Lions are scheduled to meet the Vikings in Week 7 in what could be a return to U.S. Bank Stadium for the 30-year-old. The game in Detroit will take place in Week 18.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt