Minnesota Vikings Position Battle: Long Snapper

When discussing the Minnesota Vikings camp battles for the 2015 NFL season, not a lot of discussion has been made on the fight for the long snapper job. However, the competition between longtime veteran Cullen Loeffler and the youthful Kevin McDermott could go down to the wire.

Loeffler has been a part of the Minnesota Vikings franchise for his entire NFL career. Ever since he was brought in as an undrafted free agent in 2004, he’s been a solid part of the team’s special teams unit. Now, he’s entering his 12th year with the Vikings and the team is looking for the guy who will replace him when he decides to hang up his cleats.

That man could very well be Kevin McDermott. McDermott joined the NFL in 2013 as an unrestricted free agent for the San Francisco 49ers. Since then, he’s spent some time with the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens before being signed this offseason by the Vikings. But more important than his history in the NFL is his association with another member of Minnesota’s special teams unit.

August 24, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers long snapper Kevin McDermott (47) during the third quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Levi

Kevin McDermott was a teammate of punter and holder Jeff Locke at UCLA. If the Vikings are intending on keeping Locke around, they might want to consider reuniting him with the man who used to snap the ball to him on a regular basis. During that time at UCLA, Locke seemed much more effective with his punting ability and even showed more comfort in his holding for extra points and field goals.

With how important field goals, extra points and punts are in the NFL, this shouldn’t be a decision that the Minnesota Vikings take lightly. The wrong decision could result in empty drives or losing the field position battle. And, as football fans know, those are two things that are very hard to overcome in the NFL.

Will McDermott’s ties to Jeff Locke be enough for him to win the long snapper job over long-time standard Cullen Loeffler? Or will experience be the factor with Loeffler sticking around for another season or two before retiring? Who you guys think will come away with the spot on the Minnesota Vikings roster for the 2015 season and why.

Make sure to let me know in the comments below.

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