Vikings’ Preseason Kickoff Produced 6 Losers
The Minnesota Vikings secured their first of hopefully many wins on Saturday, defeating the Houston Texans in the preseason opener. Much more important than the result, however, is how the players did individually. Some of them won the day, others disappointed.
Vikings’ Preseason Kickoff Produced 6 Losers
Here are six guys from the latter category.
Zeke Correll/Rondale Moore
It’s neither of those guys’ fault, of course, but Rondale Moore and Zeke Correll each suffered significant injuries and their seasons are in jeopardy.
Moore returned a punt, his first touch as a Viking, and got tackled while trying to get out of bounds. Some argued that the tackle could’ve been flagged as a “hip-drop” tackle. He missed the entirety of last season with a bad knee injury, and after working his way back, he’s now sidelined again with what Kevin O’Connell called a “significant knee injury.”
Correll is an undrafted rookie out of N.C. State. The center suffered a fractured ankle, which could end his season. Undrafted rookies are always underdogs to ever see the field in their careers, and such an injury is just brutal for his NFL dream.
Brett Rypien
Now that we have moved past the injuries, let’s check on some others who failed on the field. The first one is quarterback Brett Rypien. While both QB2 Sam Howell and QB4 Max Brosmer had fantastic days, Rypien is the obvious loser of that position group. He completed only one of four passes, and the offense completely stalled with him under center.
It’s a tiny sample size, of course, but just as he started to get some more reps with the second team to challenge Howell, he dropped that stinker while Howell was excellent. Brosmer could also come for his job. Despite having significantly more experience in the offense than the other two, Rypien laid an egg.
Thayer Thomas
Eight Vikings wide receivers managed to catch at least one pass, but Thayer Thomas was not one of them. He played 15 snaps and needs a productive preseason to make the team in his third try, but his odds didn’t get any better on Saturday.
Fellow third-year Viking Lucky Jackson is making strides; Thomas isn’t.
Tre Stewart
Running back Tre Stewart was viewed as a potential challenger for Ty Chandler’s RB3 job behind starter Aaron Jones and newcomer Jordan Mason. On Saturday, however, Zavier Scott stole the show, the team’s RB4 on the depth chart and last year’s practice squad player.
Stewart, meanwhile, rushed three times for ten yards, having just a quiet day. With Scott exploding, there’s just no chance for him to climb the depth chart. He’s stuck as the fifth runner, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
Tim Jones
Tim Jones, another receiver, was hired for his special teams prowess. The veteran collected not only one but two flags on special teams, and that’s just unacceptable.
Tai Felton also did a decent job as a punt gunner, and at some point, the team is running out of special teams roster spots. Jones is a non-factor on offense, shown by his zero catches and only six snaps. He was a popular player to stick around on 53-man roster predictions this offseason, but Saturday’s outing didn’t help him at all.
Editor’s Note: Information from ESPN, PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.