Punter/Holder
- Jordan Berry vs. Ryan Wright
Even though the kicking competition came to an abrupt halt with the release of Gabe Brkic and long snapper Andrew DePaolo seems to be unopposed for his job, that doesn’t mean there will be no changes in the special teams unit.
Jordan Berry seems to have a good connection with kicker Greg Joseph on holds and his punting is decent. He was 17th among punters in average yards per punt (46.5) and fourth in net yards per punt (41.3). He’s not a player that needs to be replaced, but he also could be beaten out.
A big-bodied punter, Ryan Wright joined the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Tulane. in 2021, he averaged 47.5 yards on his 51 punts and it will be interesting to see if Minnesota’s coaching staff can get even more out of the young man.
The ceiling may be high for Wright, but for now, the stable option is Berry. Messing with the continuity of the kicking process can bring terrible results and unless Wright is significantly better with punts in camp, he will likely lose the competition.