Truesdell looks like a big part of the Vipers offense
As a fan of the WWE, I’ll have to admit that I’ve considered cheering for the Vipers just because of their name which probably not coincidentally pays homage to Randy Orton. But the Vipers were RKO’d in Week 1 as they traveled to the Big Apple and were destroyed by the New York Guardians 23-3.
Despite the rough effort by Tampa Bay, a standout was former Vikings training camp participant Nick Truesdell, who appears to have a major role in head coach Marc Trestman’s offense. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Truesdell projects as a tight end, but he reprised the Brandon Marshall/Alshon Jeffery role that Jay Cutler loved throwing to during Trestman’s short stay with the Chicago Bears.
Truesdell was outproduced by teammate Daniel Williams, who caught six passes for 123 yards, but the former Minnesota tight end finished third on the Vipers with three catches for 49 yards. PFF was not as impressed, however, grading him 55th out of 71 pass-catchers thanks to a drop during the contest.
Stacy Coley, a former seventh-round pick by the Vikings in the 2017 NFL Draft, is also listed on Tampa Bay’s roster, but he did not record a catch in the loss.