The Vikings ‘Forgotten’ Weapon for 2022
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings maintain Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Irv Smith Jr., and K.J. Osborn on the current roster, and most of those men receive all the accolades and press based on resumes and subsequent expectations.
But the Vikings also have an unsung weapon that just so happens to be an RB3.
It’s Kene Nwangwu, who enters his second professional season with the Vikings from Iowa State University. Drafted in the 4th Round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Nwangwu joined a team already showcasing a fierce RB1-RB2 duo in Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. Nwangwu, a running back, was never going to receive oodles of carries in 2021, but there was a different primary plan on the docket.
Nwangwu was a special teams fiend, returning kicks in Minnesota when he became healthy in Week 9. From then on, Nwanwu scored 6% of the time he touched a football, taking two kick returns to the house, albeit in losing efforts for the Vikings.
For perspective, Nwanwu tallied a better “touchdown per touch” ratio (5.7%) than the man who led the NFL in overall touchdowns (Jonathan Taylor, 5.3%). Relatively speaking, when Nwangwu puts his paws on a ball — he scores.
And that was inside a system fostered by former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. A good coach indeed, Zimmer was more in-tune with the defensive side of operations, so Nwangwu’s rise to recognition is all the more commendable.
During this offseason cycle, Nwangwu is “forgotten,” chiefly because of his offensive job title — RB3. He’s isn’t scheduled to receive a lot of touches — RB3s don’t, in general — so why promote his 2022 candidacy?
Two reasons. a) Speed. b) A new, offensive-minded head coach who should salivate at the opportunity to fold Nwangwu into a speed-oriented offense.
Nwangwu is among the NFL’s fastest men, and he isn’t one of those fast players at the NFL Combine — and then that was just it. John Ross could summarize the tale. Nwangwu was somewhat active in the Vikings 2021 plans, and even an offensive archaism, Zimmer, tried to stir him into the gameplan.
Imagine what Kevin O’Connell will do. Speed kills, and Nwangwu is a speed merchant.
At the very least, more of his theatrics will grace special teams. And because Minnesota invested in a skipper fancying offense, Nwangwu on offense — due to sheer speed — should be on the 2022 menu.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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