Speedy Viking Takes the Pole Position
The Minnesota Vikings hired wideout and former second-rounder Rondale Moore this offseason to add an after-the-catch dimension to the offense, but also to be a potential punt returner following Brandon Powell’s exit. Indeed, it looked like he was leading that competition, but the quick receiver suffered a season-ending knee injury at the end of his first return this preseason.
Speedy Viking Takes the Pole Position
Suddenly, the race was wide open again, with various receivers eyeing the job that guarantees a spot on the 53-man roster. Saturday, the New England Patriots punted four times in their visit to U.S. Bank Stadium, and two of them were returned; both by rookie Myles Price.
Those two returns resulted in 33 gained yards, setting up the offense with better field position. Price also looked comfortable catching the punts prior to turning on the jets and showing some playmaking ability. In addition to fielding punts, Price was responsible for the team’s highlight of the day when he returned a kickoff for 81 yards. The rookie ran out of gas and couldn’t finish the run, but still turned some heads.
His play drew some praise from Kevin O’Connell on live television, but was also part of the skipper’s post-game presser.
“Yeah, for a guy that is learning the receiver position, first and foremost, I love how hard he plays,” O’Connell explained. “I love his play strength. And then you just get the feeling that it’s not too big for him, just by how he’s able to do a lot of things at a pretty good level. We’re going to continue to see him, amongst many others in that receiver room, get some opportunities here, especially this week, and just want to continue to see it play out. But he’s a guy with a ton of energy, never has a bad day. Always has a smile on his face. But he’s tough. He’s got a lot of traits physically.”
Price attended the University of Indiana last year after four seasons at Texas Tech. Throughout his career, the speedy receiver collected 2,217 receiving yards, 13 receiving scores, as well as another 270 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He also returned 42 punts and three kicks.
O’Connell was then asked about whether the kick and punt returners are currently on the roster. After emphasizing that Tai Felton is the leader in the kick returning race, he spoke about the second return job:
“And then as far as the punt return situation, we’re trying to give as many guys opportunities to go back there and, first and foremost, catch it after making a good decision on in play, fair catch, or stay away from it. It’s a decision-making and nd then catch standpoint. And then what we are looking for is somebody who can try to make that first guy miss, because I feel really good about the ability of our roster to block a lot of those plays with some of the depth we have. And then it’s just a matter of, you know, can you make one miss and maybe run through an arm tackle? And I think we saw a little bit of that today, especially that of Myles (Price).”
Price is relatively small for a receiver at 5’9″ and 183 lbs, but he delivered a 4.41 40-yard dash in the pre-draft process, and he has the quickness to make a player or two miss. That, and the essential ability to track the ball and secure it in the first place.
As a receiver, he caught a pair of passes for a total of 12 yards. Those numbers aren’t that impressive, but if he wants to be part of the 53-man roster, it’s as the team’s primary punt returner anyway.
The 23-year-old deserves a chance to win the job if the club opts against signing someone from the waiver wire.
Editor’s Note: Information from ESPN, PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.