The past few seasons the Minnesota Vikings have brought in a level of competition for their special teamers. It's always good to make sure you have the best competitors on the field, and keeping everyone sharp is a good way to accomplish that.
John Parker Romo was initially ( and begrudgingly ) cut before resurfacing as the team's kicker when Will Reichard went down. Seth Vernon came in to challenge Ryan Wright as a punter after the incumbent had a poor 2024 season.
Reichard is beyond locked in as Minnesota's kicker this season, and John Parker Romo actually played against the Vikings in a kicking competition for New England on Saturday. Wright is again being pushed, this time by Auburn's Oscar Chapman .
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Last year the competition for Ryan Wright was not all that stout. It didn't matter how far Vernon could boot the ball because he couldn't control it. Wright wound up having a better season, but that doesn't mean the MN Vikings are satisfied. The Athletic's Alec Lewis even believes the undrafted Chapman is making things interesting.
Last year, the Vikings signed punter Seth Vernon as competition for Ryan Wright. Vernon could boot the ball a mile, but his accuracy and holding ability prevented him from winning the job.
Chapman, an undrafted rookie from Auburn, appears to be a more capable competitor. He averaged 52.5 yards on two punts Saturday and held for three of kicker Will Reichard's field goal makes. The holding has given Wright a leg up in past seasons, but Chapman is making a push.
While punting is the primary responsibility for the role of a punter, their greatest impact may be on holding kicks. As a rookie last season, Will Reichard went 24-of-30 on kicks (80%) and nailed 8-of-11 from more than 50 yards.
Will Reichard makes the kick pic.twitter.com/Konb4snXk9
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Those long kicks are where holders have no room for error. The ball must come off the ground at a lower trajectory to go through the uprights, and the holder must make sure it's positioned optimally. If Chapman can carve out an advantage there, and Reichard did nail three of Reichard's makes against New England of Sunday, his path to the roster gets clearer.
Chapman punted in 59 games across five seasons for the Auburn Tigers. He averaged 43.5 yards per punt, and had to operate in extremely tense environments while playing in the SEC.
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This would be Wright's fourth year punting for the Vikings after leaving Tulane. He posted a strong rookie season with a 47.4 yards per punt average, and just a 1.4% touchback rate. He was awful in 2023, but rebounded slightly last year. It will be interesting to see how much rope the Minnesota Vikings let him play with.
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