6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023
By Adam Patrick
Kene Nwangwu – RB/KR
Selected by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Kene Nwangwu has been electrifying as a kick returner during his time with the team.
In his two seasons with Minnesota, Nwangwu has averaged 28.3 yards per kick return, and he’s returned three kickoffs for touchdowns. His three kick return-touchdowns are the most in the NFL since 2021.
Despite his excellence as a kick returner, Nwangwu hasn’t really provided the Vikings with very much production in their offense as a running back. Since 2021, he’s only carried the ball 22 times and caught six passes, in addition to not having a single non-kick return touchdown.
Minnesota could be interested in taking a running back during this year’s NFL Draft at the end of the month, especially if they end up parting ways with Dalvin Cook before then.
If the Vikings draft a running back this year, where does that leave Nwangwu? Would Minnesota keep him around just to basically be the team’s kick returner, or would they prefer to have a player as their kick returner who can also make an impact for the team on offense or defense?