PurplePTSD: The Good And Not-So-Good From The 2021 Minnesota Vikings Special Teams

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

Cole Smith

2022-03-12

We conclude our positional review of the 2021 Minnesota Vikings with the special teams. After a disastrous 2020 season that led to the firing of special teams coordinator Marwan Maalouf, the Vikings promoted longtime assistant Ryan Ficken to lead the special teams unit.

The unit improved from Pro Football Focus‘s 20th-ranked group in 2020 to ninth in 2021. Additionally, Minnesota ranked last in offensive and defensive starting field position in 2020. In 2021, they ranked 12th offensively and 16th defensively. For his efforts, Ficken got hired onto the Los Angeles Chargers’ staff as their special teams coordinator following the firing of Mike Zimmer.

The Good

Perhaps no Vikings rookie splashed in 2021 quite like running back Kene Nwangwu. The Iowa State product only played in 11 games in 2021 after an injury in the team’s first preseason game. But in only his second game as a pro, Nwangwu showcased his 4.32-forty speed on a 98-yard kick return touchdown in Baltimore. Three weeks later he ran back a 99-yarder in San Francisco. He was the only player in the league to return two kicks for touchdowns in 2021, and that was only off of 18 total returns. Nwangwu received consideration for the NFL’s All-Pro Team.

The Vikings also got a boost when they signed punter Jordan Berry just before the regular season, who was cut by the Steelers. Minnesota replaced Britton Colquitt with Berry, and the move paid off. Berry only kicked three touchbacks on the year.

Minnesota also got a new kicker in Greg Joseph. Replacing Dan Bailey, Joseph had some nice moments in 2021. He kicked two game-winners, including a 54-yarder in Week 5 against the Lions and a 29-yarder in Week 11 against the Packers. In Week 1, Joseph hit a 53-yard field goal to send the Vikings to overtime in Cincinnati. Joseph was fairly steady on the year, going 33/38 on field goals and 36/40 on extra points. But….

The Not-So-Good

Joseph had a rough outing in Week 2 against the Cardinals. In Arizona, he missed an extra point in the second quarter that loomed large as the Vikings trailed 34-33 on their final drive. When Kirk Cousins led the Vikings down the field and into field goal range with four seconds remaining, Joseph had a chance to send the Vikings home with a massive road upset. But Joseph missed the 37-yard field goal wide right, dropping Minnesota to 0-2 and setting the tone for the season that the team couldn’t finish games.

What To Expect Moving Forward

The Minnesota Vikings added Matt Daniels as their special teams coordinator in 2022. Daniels was Dallas’ assistant special teams coordinator the past two seasons. Before that, he was on the Rams’ coaching staff with Kevin O’Connell in 2018 and 2019.

Because of this, the Vikings may opt to look for different faces at their most important specialist positions. Nwangwu is safe, of course, but Joseph, Berry, and punt returner Dede Westbrook are all set to become free agents. These three were steady yet unspectacular for most of the 2021 season. The Vikings could be on the lookout for undrafted free agents to fill their kicker and punter spots. Their punt returner is probably not on roster, although the team could look at second-year wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette one more time to steal the job.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.