The Minnesota Vikings entered their preseason opener with a plan last month, but as often happens in the NFL, plans get scrapped in a hurry.
With an open competition playing out at punt returner during training camp, the Vikings gave speedy wide receiver Rondale Moore the first look on Aug. 9. Unfortunately, Moore’s first punt return attempt wound up being his last. His left knee buckled as he was pushed out of bounds, and the result was a brutal season-ending knee injury for the second straight year.
Moore’s exit left Minnesota’s punt returner job completely up for grabs. Undrafted rookies Silas Bolden and Myles Price both got opportunities in the preseason. Ditto for Lucky Jackson during training camp. The team also had a potential option in cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who handled kickoffs and some punts during his three-year tenure with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Vikings closed camp with a new plan at the position, and if Monday night’s season opener against the Chicago Bears was any indication, they’ve found their guy.
Minnesota Vikings rookie Myles Price was a special teams weapon in NFL debut
Lost in the late-game heroics of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings’ ferocious defense Monday was an eye-opening performance from Price, who firmly beat out Bolden as Minnesota’s top return specialist in camp.
All 11 of Price’s snaps against the Bears came on special teams, per Pro Football Focus, and he made his presence felt with 117 all-purpose yards — including four punt returns for 68 yards and an average of 17 yards per attempt. He had a 22-yarder that helped set up the Vikings’ go-ahead score with 9:46 remaining; earlier, he had another crucial one that was caught at his own 6-yard line and returned out to the 23.
Undrafted rookie Myles Price, in his NFL debut, had 68 yards on four punt returns.
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 9, 2025
He's just the second Vikings player this decade with 60 PR yards in a game (Dede Westbrook, 2021). Marcus Sherels did it 10 times from 2011-18. pic.twitter.com/ytBnbJJ3ZA
The majority of the postgame love flowed McCarthy’s way, and rightfully so after his electric fourth quarter that included three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). But the quarterback made it a point to mention Price’s unsung impact during his session with the media.
“That’s just tremendous from a young guy like that to step up,” McCarthy said.
Price was good enough to remind Vikings fans of Marcus Sherels, Minnesota’s all-time great with over 2,500 career punt return yards and a franchise record five touchdowns. The rookie obviously has a long way to go, but Week 1 was a smashing debut for the unheralded former Indiana Hoosier.