17 August 2023
Greg Joseph is the last place-kicker standing at Vikings training camp.
Though special-teams coordinator Matt Daniels insisted that the Vikings had a kicking competition on their hands, Joseph, the incumbent, beat out rookie Jack Podlesny, the challenger, without much of a fight.
The plan heading into last Thursday’s preseason opener against the Seahawks in Seattle was for both Joseph and Podlesny to get some work in for the Vikings. Instead, Joseph handled the kicking duties by himself, converting on a 26-yard field, a 54-yard field goal, and an extra point.
In response, Daniels told reporters earlier this week that he expected Joseph to cede reps to Podlesny in Saturday’s preseason game against the Tennessee Titans at U.S. Bank Stadium. He added that he was very excited to see both Joseph and Podlesny kick in front a crowd at TCO Performance Center with the Vikings hosting the Titans for joint practices this week.
That proved not to be the case as Vikings decided to waive Podlesny ahead of Thursday’s joint practice.
As of now, Joseph is the only kicker on the roster with the Sept. 10 season opener against the Buccaneers coming up in less than a month. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Vikings bring in another kicker at some point in the coming weeks to push Joseph. He was 26 for 33 on field-goal attempts and 40 for 46 on extra-point attempts in 2022.
Vikings add RB depth
After hosting veterans Kareem Hunt and Mike Davis for visits in the past week, the Vikings decided to go in another direction, signing undrafted rookie Aaron Dykes to a deal. This move is designed to add depth to the backfield with Kene Nwangwu still nursing an undisclosed injury that popped up a couple of weeks ago.
The fact that Dykes served as a kickoff returner while playing collegiately at Richmond is not insignificant. Especially considering Nwangwu’s prowess as a kicker returner. This could be a sign of the Vikings weighing their options moving forward with Nwangwu continuing to miss valuable time.
It’s worth noting that Dykes likely won’t disrupt the depth chart as it currently stands. Alexander Mattison is still the unquestioned starter, and Ty Chandler still has the inside track at being the backup if he continues to perform well over the next few weeks.
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