Vikings Might Replace the Other Specialist
Kicker Will Reichard was selected in the sixth round of the recent NFL draft. He is the first placekicker drafted by the Vikings since 2018 when Auburn’s Daniel Carlson joined the organization. He will compete with John Parker Romo, a 2023 standout in the XFL. The Vikings have moved on from Greg Joseph.
Vikings Might Replace the Other Specialist
The second specialist position, meanwhile, could also make a change. Ryan Wright has been holding the starting punter job since 2022 when he came out of college as an undrafted rookie. In his first training camp, Wright managed to win the job over veteran Jordan Berry.
Booming punts in the preseason a few days later proved the Vikings right, and the former Tulane punter had an impressive debut season. Unfortunately, he failed to replicate that success, slowing down in various statistical categories. Unlike last year, he will face some competition in the upcoming training camp because the franchise added Seth Vernon to the roster right after the draft.
Alec Lewis, The Athletic, recently wondered in an article whether the Vikings are ready to move on from Wright:
[In his rookie season,] the Tulane product ranked in the top half of all punters in most categories. Last year, however, he regressed in jarring fashion, settling near the bottom among punters in almost all meaningful metrics.
Earlier this spring, the Vikings signed Seth Vernon, a Portland State product who also went undrafted in 2022. Vernon arrived ready, impressed in organized team activities and has launched a full-on competition. Kevin O’Connell’s view might mirror his approach to the offensive line: Best man wins, prior ties be damned.
Alec Lewis
Building a healthy competition was clearly the goal at both specialist spots. Just like Wright, Vernon went undrafted in 2022. He joined the Atlanta Falcons but failed to dethrone veteran punter Bradley Pinion. The Falcons ultimately waived their rookie punter.
Prior to his NFL journey, Vernon played at Portland State. Ironically, the Portland State team name is also Vikings.
In 2023, Wright received a punting grade of 68.3 from PFF, ranking him 19th of 33 eligible punters. His punt average of 48.7 lists him 11th in the league, but the net average, which considers returns and touchbacks, drops him to 16th. His hangtime ranked 10th.
Wright’s averages remained steady in his second season, but he was much better at threading the needle in the previous campaign when he dropped 43.8% of the punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line (28.8% in 2023). His touchbacks also increased from only one to seven.
Another element of the competition is the job as a holder. The punter is holding the ball for the kicker, and since Joseph is gone, there’s no need to keep the continuity in the operation.
It is an open competition with an open end. Vernon hasn’t been given the chance to punt in an NFL game through two seasons, which seems alarming. However, there are only 32 punters in the NFL, and he might just not have had any luck in sliding into the right situation.
Wright has been put on notice, and his performance in training camp is crucial for his future with the organization.
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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