Former Vikings WR Gets the Call
The New England Patriots produced a potentially season-saving victory over the Buffalo Bills last weekend, climbing to 2-5, with a 2.5% chance of reaching the postseason, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.
Former Vikings WR Gets the Call
Now this week, Bill Belichick and Co. travel to Miami for a date with the angry Dolphins, a club convincingly defeated last Sunday night by the Philadelphia Eagles.
And New England will have a former Minnesota Vikings wideout on the field, or at least on the gameday roster, as Jalen Reagor was promoted from the practice squad on Thursday. NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport tweeted heading into Week 8, “The Patriots are signing WR Jalen Reagor to the 53-man roster, source said. The former first-rounder has impressed behind the scenes in New England, earning praise from Bill Belichick. He played his most snaps of the season on Sunday.”
Reagor joins this group of WRs:
- Kendrick Bourne
- Devante Parker
- JuJu Smith-Schuster (Inj.)
- Kayshon Boutte (Inj.)
- Tyquan Thornton
- Demario Douglas
- Matthew Slater
- Ty Montgomery
- Jalen Reagor
The Vikings waived Reagor on August 30th, and the day after, the ex-Philadelphia Eagle latched onto the Patriots practice squad, just a promotion away from the regular season roster. That time has arrived.
The 24-year-old produced an impressive training camp and preseason for the Vikings, plopping him smack dab on the middle of Minnesota’s roster bubble. Most Vikings fans believed he did enough this summer to make the regular season roster, while some national voices speculated a possible waiver, which was ultimately correct.
The young playmaker never really took off as a Viking. In fact, the lasting memory of Reagor heading into the 2023 offseason was two blundered routes against the Indianapolis Colts that caused interceptions. All told, Reagor tabulated 8 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown last season. Of all 31 NFLers who returned 15+ punts in 2022, Reagor’s 6.2 yards per return ranked 31st in the league. His production flatly didn’t impress, and accordingly, he was theorized on the roster bubble heading into 2023 training camp, culminating in the late-summer exit.
Meanwhile, New England needs all the help it can find on offense, so the Reagor promotion checks out. It ranks 32nd in the league per offensive EPA/Play, also known as dead last. Specifically, the Patriots rank 29th per Dropback EPA/Play, meaning when quarterback Mac Jones attempts a pass, his team is the fourth-least efficient team in the process.
A productive Reagor, the goal when he was drafted ahead of Justin Jefferson three and a half years ago, could help remedy the sins of New England’s offense.
Earlier this season, Minnesota traded offensive tackle Vederian Lowe to New England for a 6th-Round draft pick, and the young lineman owns a 40.7 Pro Football Focus grade through seven weeks.
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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 Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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