4 Vikings position battles that have already been decided
By Adam Carlson
Vikings position battle No. 1
Kicker: Greg Joseph vs. Jack Podlesny
It's hard to know if this was ever an honest position battle, but fans and experts always seem to downplay the importance of having a good kicker even though the Minnesota Vikings know how essential it is.
Greg Joseph returned to the Vikings after a solid season where he made 22 of his 23 field goal attempts from 50 yards out or less but struggled on extra points, failing to connect on six of his 46 tries.
Jack "Hot Pod" Podlesny was brought in as an undrafted free agent but never even made it to the team's first preseason game. The rookie kicker was waived on Aug. 17, just two days before Minnesota's first preseason game.
Now, the path is clear for Greg Joseph to be the kicker for the 2023 NFL season. He hasn't missed a kick so far this preseason, so the hope has to be that he can keep that accuracy up through the upcoming season.