6. A clear winner for the return jobs
Remember how the last point talked about how the Minnesota Vikings seem to really like Ameer Abdullah? Well, they seem to like him at more than running back as he is the favorite for two spots on special teams.
After losing Marcus Sherels this offseason, Abdullah looks like he will be taking over as the team’s primary punt returner. Last year, he didn’t handle a single one, as Sherels had 23, Brandon Zylstra had four, and Mike Hughes had one.
Abdullah is also holding onto the kick return job. Last year he returned ten kickoffs for 258 yards, an average of 25.8 yards per return. Strangely, cornerback Holton Hill led the way in yards per return with three returns for 85 yards (28.3 per return).
Considering Holton Hill will be sitting out a significant amount of time this season and Mike Hughes is aiming to get and stay healthy, having someone to be the primary returner but be lower on the depth chart makes sense. And that seems to be the case for Abdullah.
Are there any other spots on the first unofficial depth chart of the Minnesota Vikings that surprised you? And which players do you think are most likely to move up or down during the preseason? Let us know your opinion in the comments!