Worst possible outcome confirmed for top Vikings rookie with recent report

Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard
Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard | David Berding/GettyImages

On Monday, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell shared that the team was still figuring out what to do with rookie kicker Will Reichard after he injured his quad in the team's Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Well, on Tuesday, the Vikings apparently made their decision about Reichard as the team will reportedly place the rookie on injured reserve, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. Reichard will now be required to miss at least Minnesota's next four games, and it's possible that he could be out of action even longer.

With the Vikings deciding to place the rookie on injured reserve, the team has also reportedly signed free-agent kicker John Parker Romo, according to NFL Media's Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero. Romo was with Minnesota earlier this year before the team let him go in July and awarded the kicking job to Reichard.

Minnesota Vikings reportedly sign a new long snapper in addition to making a kicking change

Romo apparently wasn't the only signing the Vikings made on Tuesday. Minnesota has also reportedly signed free-agent long snapper Jake McQuaide, according to Garafolo, which became necessary after the team revealed on Monday that it was going to place veteran long snapper Andrew DePaola on short-term injured reserve.

So now, the Vikings are going to have a new kicker and a new long snapper for their upcoming game next Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's a disappointing situation for Minnesota since the combination of DePaola, Reichard, and holder Ryan Wright resulted in zero missed field goals or extra points before Week 9.

Hopefully, the Vikings don't end up needing to rely on their new kicker and long snapper too much against the Jaguars next weekend. But given Minnesota's poor history with kickers, Romo will probably end up attempting a game-winning field goal in the final seconds of Sunday's matchup.

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