The Kicking Battle Appears to Be On in Minnesota
Josh Frey
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The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Vikings have begun the process of adding undrafted free agents to the depth chart to compete for roster spots this summer. So far, the Vikings have agreed to terms with 15 of them. One of these 15 stands out, though. It appears that the Vikings have a kicking battle on their hands as they’ve agreed to terms with Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny.
Podlesny, a two-time national champion during his time with the Bulldogs, has been under some of the brightest lights that any can play under during his collegiate career. Every single time, he’s delivered at the highest level.
During college, the new Vikings kicker hit 182 of 184 career extra points and 61 of 74 field goals. He led the nation in points during 2022 with 151, and he was fifth in 2021. The kicker led the SEC in points in each of the last two seasons. He signed a deal for $15,000 guaranteed.
As for current K1 Greg Joseph, he should remain the favorite to win this battle despite struggling at times during his two-year stint with the Vikings. Joseph joined the Vikings in 2021, and in that first season in Minnesota, he made 33/38 field goal attempts (86.8%), but in his second ever game with the team, he missed a potentially game-winning kick against the Arizona Cardinals from 37 yards away.
Since that game, though, he has been an extremely clutch player for the Vikings, hitting seven game-winners. This includes his Vikings franchise record 61-yarder against the New York Giants on Christmas Eve to secure the NFC North title for Minnesota.
There have been two major areas of inconsistency for Joseph over the course of his Vikings career, though: field goals from 50+ yards and XP attempts. It’s a very strange combination, but it’s the truth. Especially in 2022, Joseph was money from under 50 yards, hitting 22-of-23 attempts of that variety last season. Meanwhile, he went just 4-for-10 on attempts of 50+ yards.
As for extra points, this is perhaps the most befuddling part of Joseph’s kicking. He missed four attempts in 2021 and six in 2022. No kicker missed more XPs in 2022 than Joseph.
At the very least, it looks like there will be a kicking competition in Minnesota for us to follow into the summer. A similar situation took place following the draft last year with Gabe Brkic, but he was cut before training camp could even get started.
Perhaps with a more proven kicker in Podlesnay, things end a little differently this time around, but it’s far too early to say one way or the other. If the Vikings were to cut Joseph from his one-year contract this summer, they would save $300,000 against the salary cap.
Official training camp dates have not been set yet, but it will get started sometime in late July.
The Vikings’ Post-Draft Depth Chart
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.