The Odd Adam Thielen Detail That Still Needs Further Clarity
Adam Thielen has accomplished much in his impressive NFL career, including being a strong contributor on special teams.
One thing he hasn’t done, however, is prove to be an explosive punt returner. Despite that being the case, Thielen has been dropped down into the PR2 job, as the Vikings’ updated depth chart clarifies. Does it make sense to turn to a 35-year-old player — someone who, almost by definition, is seeing his speed decline — to jump into the job?
Adam Thielen’s Odd Next Step
First, a dose of reality.
Kevin O’Connell and Matt Daniels aren’t compelled to adhere to what’s said on the website’s depth chart. Consider, for instance, a scenario where Myles Price can’t get onto the field to be the punt returner. Minnesota’s coaching staff isn’t forced to turn to the online PR2. If there’s a desire to do so, the Vikings could insert Jalen Nailor, Ty Chandler, or basically whomever they feel is best equipped to handle the job in that particular moment.
Presumably, there’s a reason why the online depth chart lists Thielen in that spot. The likeliest reason is the simplest one: Thielen genuinely is the backup for punt return.
But then consider the player’s history within that role, as noted on Vikings Territory: “Throughout his long, impressive career that has involved 162 games, Adam Thielen has 6 punt returns for 8 yards. Total. That’s an average sitting at 1.3 yards per return with a career high sitting at 9 yards. He has never brought a punt back for double digit yards.”
Worth noting, perhaps, that Mr. Thielen has done other things on specials.
Most notably for the current discussion, Thielen has worked as a returner for kickoff. Again, modest, but still some experience. The receiver has 3 career kickoff returns for a total of 52 yards. His average kickoff return thus gets brought back for just 17.3 yards. Note that these trio of kickoff returns arrived in 2014 and 2016, a lifetime ago in the NFL.
More broadly, Adam Thielen has played in 629 special teams snaps (a number that’s crushed by his 7,834 career plays on offense). The great majority of those specials opportunities arrived back in 2014 and 2015, years where he snagged 259 snaps apiece in each season.
Afterwards, there were 93 plays in 2016. Since then, Thielen’s special teams snaps have been down in the single digits. His pair of seasons as a Panther involved getting zero snaps on special teams. Add it all together and the history doesn’t offer a compelling reason why Thielen has been tasked with the extra role. So, what gives?
The simplest answer could merely be that he’s reliable. The top priority for punt return? Securing possession of the football. An explosive returner who regularly fumbles is going to lose his job. A returner who offers modest gains but who always secures the ball is going to maintain his job (at least until the team finds someone who can do both, balancing ball security and explosiveness).
In fact, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels got into the topic at his recent presser. Coach Daniels thinks that it’s all about having “a guy that you feel supreme confidence in.” Not too long afterwards, there’s a mention of “ball security is always going to be at a premium.” “You’re the legit backup punt returner,” Daniels says he explained to Thielen.
As a backup, Adam Thielen’s job is to get the ball back. Put the pigskin in Ryan Kelly’s massive mitt so that he can get it into J.J. McCarthy’s hands. Let Kevin O’Connell orchestrate things on offense rather than fumbling away the opportunity to possess the ball and score points. Thielen probably finds himself with these exact thoughts if/when he gets put onto the field as the returner.
Adam Thielen and the Vikings will take on the Bears on Monday, September 8th. Look for the receiver to be a key part of the offense. If something goes wrong, Thielen may even get a shot on specials, too.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
