The Minnesota Vikings receiver has proven over and over again that he can produce when his name is called. So why doesn’t the team give him more snaps?
No matter what sport you want to analyze, when it comes to a team’s roster, the goal is to put the best players on the field to give you the best chance to win. Ideally, the common denominator in making those decisions on personnel comes down to efficiency.
In basketball, how efficient is your shot, defense, rebounding, and assist to turnover ratio in comparison to your peers who are also trying to make the team? In baseball, how efficient is your swing and fielding?
If you’re not as efficient as the next guy in the same position group, you either drop down the depth chart or you’re waived from the team.
Of course this isn’t breaking news. This is something that is widely accepted and understood across the sports world as common sense.
And yet, common sense isn’t always so common.
For the last two seasons the Minnesota Vikings have grossly neglected using wide receiver Jarius Wright.
In fact, not only has he not seen much playing time, despite being one of the more consistent and reliable weapons on offense, he has inexcusably spent his time on the bench in favor of less talented receivers including Cordarrelle Patterson and Laquon Treadwell.
Whether the source of this decision is Vikings general manager Rick Spielman or head coach Mike Zimmer, benching Wright for two players that have proven to be incapable of running routes and getting separation is nothing short of malpractice.
Not to be confused, Spielman did an outstanding job giving Zimmer and the coaching staff a tremendous upgrade in roster personnel in 2017 compared to the year prior.
The additions (and cuts) on the offensive line last offseason resulted in the position group improving mightily, giving up the seventh-fewest sacks in the league compared to the 10th-most in 2016.
Sam Bradford made it through all of 2016 unscathed. But with his chronic knee problems making a return in 2017, bringing in Case Keenum turned out to be a great insurance plan.
And if not for an unfortunate season-ending torn ACL, Dalvin Cook was on track to being a top candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Also to the credit of Zimmer, Minnesota has installed stability, starting with a defense that has gotten better and better each year under his leadership.
However, this still does not excuse the misuse of Jarius Wright.
Looking at just the numbers alone:
Wright in his six-year career has averaged 13.3 yards per reception with a catch percentage of 67 percent. The last two seasons, albeit in limited snaps, he’s had a catch percentage of 79 percent and 72 percent respectively.
Then when you look at the eye test, Wright certainly isn’t the biggest receiver in the world, but the bottom line is that he’s proven to be extremely consistent and effective in making plays on the field.
He’s an exceptional route runner with great hands, which are the basic and most important attributes needed from an NFL wide receiver.
Yet somehow, someway, the last two seasons he’s been below the depth chart behind Patterson and Treadwell.
In 2016, Patterson (531 snaps to Wright’s 119) finally had his breakout year with the Vikings. It took 70 targets for him to rack up 453 yards.
Wright’s last year of consistent playing time was 2015. That season it took him just 50 targets to get 442 yards.
Then we get to Treadwell in 2017 (500 snaps compared to Wright’s 254). Treadwell finished the year with 20 catches on 35 targets (57 percent catch rate).
Where is the justification in getting double the snaps of Wright?
Down 31 to 24 in Week 14 against the Carolina Panthers, the Vikings had a four receiver set on their final possession featuring Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph and Treadwell. On 3rd and 16, Treadwell dropped a pass that would’ve given Minnesota a more manageable fourth down try in hopes of continuing the drive to possibly tie the game.
Instead the Minnesota was forced to try and convert on 4th and 16 which resulted in a turnover on downs, thus losing to the Panthers.
That loss turned out to be the difference maker for the Vikings in finishing as the number two seed instead of getting home field advantage through Minneapolis during the playoffs last year.
Of course Treadwell is not the sole reason for losing to Carolina. There were many factors that played a role. The defense was flat-footed and the offensive line was injury riddled. Yet, the Vikings still had a chance to stay alive.
But why did they put the game in the hands of a receiver who’s known more for blocking than anything else while the better option looks from the sidelines?
Minnesota Vikings
How is it that Minnesota came up with every excuse possible to keep guys like Matt Kalil, Blair Walsh and Christian Ponder on the field while conversely coming up with every excuse possible to keep a really good player at the cellar of the depth chart?
If the goal is to win and if the idea is to put your best players on the field to give you the best chance to win, there is zero football justification for why Wright has been cast aside like trash.
He was better than Patterson in 2016 and he’s better than Treadwell now. He’s not the sexy-named receiver you’d typically think of, but he simply makes plays at a highly efficient rate when given the opportunities.
He deserves to be the undisputed slot receiver with more playing time than the charity snaps he’s been given during the last two seasons.
Next: Who will be the Vikings' backup QB in 2018?
If he ends up getting cut this year, it will ultimately be the Vikings’ loss on a wasted opportunity of talent.