Minnesota Vikings’ four biggest question marks heading into the 2017 season
By Adam Patrick
Who is Minnesota’s punter?
The Vikings had a number of departures in free agency this offseason and one of them was punter Jeff Locke, who opted to sign a new deal with the Indianapolis Colts. Locke has been Minnesota’s starting punter since the team selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
His play was nothing special, so his absence should not be a huge problem in 2017. But assumptions and actual reality are also two very different monsters when it comes to the history of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota now has to figure out who will be punting the ball for them for the first time in four years.
Currently, the Vikings have two punters on their roster in Ryan Quigley and Taylor Symmank. Quigley played with the Arizona Cardinals in 2016 and spent his previous three seasons with the New York Jets. Symmank last played for Texas Tech in 2015 and has never punted a ball in an actual NFL game.
The edge at this point seems to be leaning in favor of Quigley based on his experience level. But there is certainly no guarantee as good a offseason from Symmank could eventually result in him becoming Minnesota’s new starting punter.