Minnesota Vikings 2018 season offseason forecast: Specialists

What will the Minnesota Vikings need to do at punter, kicker, and long snapper in free agency and the draft as the franchise prepares for the 2018 NFL season?

The offseason can be an exciting time with the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs getting a lot of attention in free agency and the NFL draft, but the Minnesota Vikings can’t get tunnel vision on those positions.

In order to have a successful franchise, a team needs to have the best available players at all positions. This includes often overlooked but essential specialist players at punter, kicker, and long snapper.

Let’s take a look at the players at specialty positions who are under contract heading into the 2018 NFL season and who the team will need to make a decision on heading into the new year according to Spotrac:

Specialists under contract in 2018

• Ryan Quigley, P (UFA in 2019)
• Kevin McDermott, LS (UFA in 2021)

Specialists set to become free agents

• Kai Forbath, K (UFA)
• Jeff Overbaugh, LS (ERFA)

The good news is that long snapper McDermott should be back for the 2018 season and is under contract for several more seasons. Add in that Quigley didn’t have a single touchback while punting during the regular season, and you have two reliable players coming back.

Overbaugh was brought in for when McDermott went down with a shoulder injury and finished out the season. He will likely not be brought back unless there is an issue with McDermott. Also, Forbath is only 30 years old and converted 84.2% of his kicks during the 2017 regular season according to ESPN.

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Offseason options

• Evaluate McDermitt. The only reason to look at a long snapper is if there is any doubt whatsoever that their starter from last year can return. If there is even a small amount of question, the team should bring Overbaugh into training camp and attempt to keep a good standing with him.
• Find a kicker. Whether it is bringing back Forbath, picking up a free agent, or using a draft pick, the Vikings will need to have at least one kicker…but will likely bring in two for training camp to compete for the job.

What the plan should be

The only real question is if Kai Forbath will come back for the 2018 season. At only 30 years old, he still has a long career ahead of him and didn’t perform badly enough to not be considered for return.

On the other hand, competition can breed success. Using a late round draft pick or bringing in an undrafted free agent could help to push for excellence at the position and open up what could be an interesting training camp battle.

Next: 2018 offseason forecast for safeties

What do you think the Minnesota Vikings will do when it comes to the specialists as the team heads into the 2018 NFL season? Let us know what your plan would be in the comments section below.