Is the answer to the Vikings’ return issues as easy as this?
Joe Johnson
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Each week I appear on multiple radio shows around the state (oh, good for meeee) and each week this season it feels that we end up discussing the Minnesota Vikings’ multi-faceted special teams issues.
Each week it feels as if something else goes awry. Botched returns, bad snaps, missed extra points, etc. With the Vikings most likely needing to go 3-1 over their final four games, it feels as if it’s only a matter of time until these issues end up costing the Vikings a win and thus the post-season.
One of the main issues this season has been the return game. The Vikings used a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on their return man of the future, KJ Osborn, which has been an unmitigated disaster thus far.
For a team that’s success is predicated on old school concepts like time of possession, field position, most likely the Statue of Liberty play/pre-forward pass ideology, the return game is crucial.
The Vikings were spoiled during the Zimmer era to have great returners like Cordarrelle Patterson for kick returns and especially Marcus Sherels for punt returns, and have missed both sorely. They’ve especially missed Sherels in a touchback league, who was always good to be a top 1-3 returner.
Case in point:
That’s from 2017 for a reason. You’ll see Sherels at the third spot and a highlighted name, Jaydon Mickens (then of Jacksonville) at the 7 spot.
As TheVikingAge.com’s Adam Patrick pointed out today, Mickens was recently released by the Vikings next opponent the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While his stats have faded from his 2017 peak, he clearly has shown the ability to be a top return man (something no one on the Vikings roster has done thus far).
With the Vikings needing every advantage to win three of their next four games, all against tough opponents, they might want to give Mickens a tryout as they quite literally have nothing to lose.
Or rather, they have everything to lose and as they’ve already shown a propensity to fix their special teams issues via free agency (see: Andrew DePaola), this could be a good move to help mitigate the above and raise their chances of winning the upcoming slate.