Vikings Add Super Bowl Champion WR

  |  
Mar 22, 2023
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports.

So far in free agency, the Minnesota Vikings have welcomed newcomers Josh Oliver (TE, Ravens), Marcus Davenport (EDGE, Saints), Byron Murphy (CB, Cardinals), and Dean Lowry (DT, Packers).

Cameron Dantzler (CB, Commanders), Eric Kendricks (LB, Chargers), Patrick Peterson (CB, Steelers), Adam Thielen (WR, Panthers), and Dalvin Tomlinson (DT, Browns) left the franchise.

Vikings Add Super Bowl Champion WR

On Wednesday, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah added another weapon — a wide receiving and punt-returning reinforcement in the form of Brandon Powell from the Los Angeles Rams.

Vikings Add Super
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “Former Rams’ free-agent WR Brandon Powell reached agreement today a one-year deal with the Vikings, per source. Powell will be reuniting with former Rams’ OC and Vikings’ HC Kevin O’Connell.”

Powell entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent from the University of Florida in 2018. Since then, he’s been a part of six organizations, including the Vikings:

Detroit Lions (2018)
Atlanta Falcons (2019–2020)
Buffalo Bills (2021)
Miami Dolphins (2021)
Los Angeles Rams (2021–2022)
Minnesota Vikings (2023)

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

The stops in Buffalo and Miami included no regular season action. Powell was released by the Bills in the summer of 2021 during roster trimdowns and spent six weeks on the Dolphins practice squad later that season.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell won a Super Bowl will Powell in 2021, quarterback Matthew Stafford’s first season in Tinseltown. Minnesota hired O’Connell a few days later while Powell stuck around for an underwhelming 2022 Rams campaign.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports.

Powell arrives in Minnesota right as the club plans next steps at WR2 after Adam Thielen left for the Carolina Panthers last weekend. While the ex-Gator has an intriguing skillset, Vikings fans should not perceive Powell as a new WR2 or anything of the sort. In fact, he’s more likely to latch onto the 2023 roster as a punt returner, possibly replacing Jalen Reagor in the coming months if he can win the summer camp battle.

To date, Powell has played in 44 NFL games, tabulating 47 catches for 354 yards and two touchdowns. He’s returned one punt return for a touchdown in his career against — you guessed it — the Vikings in December of 2021.

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports.

This is the Vikings WR room as of March 22th:

  • Justin Jefferson
  • K.J. Osborn
  • Jalen Nailor
  • Brandon Powell
  • Jalen Reagor
  • Blake Proehl
  • Trishton Jackson

Minnesota released wide receiver Thomas Hennigan on Tuesday, presumably to make room for Powell.

Powell will turn 28 right after Week 1 of the 2023 season.

The financial terms of Powell’s one-year deal were not immediately available.

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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,’ and The Doors (the band).

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.

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