The Minnesota Vikings had a ton of position battles, but one was underrated and may not have made the biggest headlines.
Throughout training camp, the Vikings were having veteran punter Johnny Hekker and undrafted rookie Brett Thorson battle it out for the starting punter job. While most people were more interested in the quarterback battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy, the punter battle might have more of an impact than some expect.
After three preseason games, the battle has finally been decided, and the Vikings have their guy. It may not have been the one fans were expecting, though.
Minnesota Vikings reportedly going with Brett Thorson as the starting punter over Johnny Hekker
On Sunday, CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz shared that the Vikings are reportedly releasing Hekker from the team, and Thorson is expected to step in as their starting punter and holder in 2026.
During the preseason, Thorson had eight punts for 380 yards, averaging 47.5 yards per punt and pinned five punts inside the 20-yard line. Hekker had nine punts for 434 yards, averaging 48.2 yards per punt and also pinning five punts inside the 20-yard line.
Thorson is a great story, as he hoped to play Australian football, but when that didn't happen, he tried his hand at the NFL. It ended up working out for him, as he has now made the Vikings' 53-man roster.
The Vikings had a massive hole to fill at punter after losing Ryan Wright in free agency in the offseason to the New Orleans Saints. Minnesota filled the void by finding Thorson after a successful NFL Combine and ultimately deciding to bring him in.
Now it's a matter of seeing how he does in his first few NFL games. He looked good in the preseason and seemed to have been consistent enough to beat out Hekker for the job. This is despite both having similar preseason numbers, as practices could have been the defining factor.
The contract the Vikings gave Hekker could have played a role as well. Minnesota would have had to pay Hekker more for the season than Thorson, so while it may not be much, the Vikings are putting some money back in their pockets.
This is one of the great training camp storylines out of Minnesota to see Thorson win the job. Now Vikings fans want to see what he's got during the regular season and whether he can play just as well, if not better, than Wright did last year.
Add us as a preferred source on Google