Vikings reveal their new kick returner for the 2024 season

When the Minnesota Vikings parted ways with running back Kene Nwangwu, many fans started to wonder who would be returning kickoffs for the team during the 2024 NFL season and who the team's third-string running back would be.

It didn't take long for there to be an answer to that question. After a preseason where the new kickoff rule was tested out, the Vikings made the call to make a change and opt for different individual to handle kickoff returns.

Vikings reveal their new kick returner for the 2024 season

The Athletic's Alec Lewis shared on X that Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stated that veteran running back Myles Gaskin will not only be the team's kick returner but also the team's RB3.

Gaskin is currently signed to Minnesota's practice squad, meaning that he will need to be elevated to the 53-man roster before the start of the season. The team will need to make an adjustment to their roster by releasing someone else to make room for him.

After roster cuts, the Vikings were left with Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler as the only running backs on the 53. That will change when Myles Gaskin is elevated, as he will act as the team's third rusher behind Jones and Chandler.

Gaskin has only returned two kickoffs in his NFL career. Both of those returns came as a member of the Miami Dolphins in 2021. On those two returns, he gained 29 yards, which isn't going to knock anyone's socks off.

Entering his sixth season as a pro, Gaskin is a 27-year-old running back who was a seventh-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has played in 41 games, starting 17 of those. He flashed at times while with the Dolphins during his 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

Swapping out Kene Nwangwu for Myles Gaskin is an interesting move, but one that makes some sense. Minnesota gets a more experienced running back to sit behind Jones and Chandler, but loses a player who showed some flashes as a return specialist under the previous kickoff rules.

Keep your eye on the transaction wire of the Minnesota Vikings since the team will need to adjust their roster. For now, at least fans have answers to two questions that were glaring after the team's roster cuts since we now know who will return kicks and who the RB3 will be.

More Vikings news and analysis