6 bold predictions for the Vikings 2021 training camp
By Chris Schad
Minnesota’s kicker is not on the roster
For all the signings and additions the Vikings have made this offseason, they didn’t do much about the kicker position. Dan Bailey had a disastrous finish to the 2020 season and the Vikings signed Greg Joseph off Tampa Bay’s practice squad as a potential replacement.
When Bailey was cut before the start of free agency, many thought there would be some sort of competition. But with Riley Patterson the only other kicker on the roster, it’s possible they really like Joseph or have their eyes on something else.
Joseph made every kick during minicamp according to Zimmer, but those kicks rarely represent game action. During his three seasons in the NFL, Joseph has gone 17-for-20 (85 percent) on field-goal attempts but sat behind Ryan Succop in 2020.
In a season where jobs could be on the line, having a kicker with limited experience isn’t going to fly. The Vikings could opt to bring in Stephen Gostkowski or Zane Gonzalez, but there’s a chance they could wait until final cuts in the same way they added Matt Wile or Britton Colquitt in previous seasons.