Oct 15, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; A detailed view of a Curcial Catch decal on a Houston Texans helmet on the sideline prior to the game against the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports.
Depending on one’s perception, the Minnesota Vikings will embark on the 2024 season with a significant question mark at WR3.
The frontrunners to win the assignment are Brandon Powell, Jalen Nailor, and Trent Sherfield after the third wide receiver from the last three seasons, K.J. Osborn, departed via free agency for the New England Patriots. And if the Vikings determine Powell, Nailor, or Sherfield don’t quite have the oomph for the WR3 job, well, the next guy could be currently employed by the Houston Texans.
The candidate is controvertible, but Robert Woods, a man with ties to Kevin O’Connell, is the most sensible target. Overall, these are the Texans’ wide receivers entering training camp:
Houston will probably keep five or six from that list of 13, meaning over half are destined for the practice squad and free agency.
For context, these are the Vikings’ wide receivers:
For Texans-themed 53-man roster projections, Woods and Skowronek are typically the odd men out. This week, the Houston Chronicle published a 53-man roster prediction, with Woods on the outside looking in. Jonathan M. Alexander wrote, “Woods had a good offseason too. But he doesn’t play special teams, and the Texans could also save nearly $5 million in cap space by cutting him. Hutchinson is just the odd man out.”
Woods crossed paths with O’Connell for a few years in Los Angeles, even winning a Super Bowl together in 2021, the event that propelled O’Connell onto the Vikings’ radar and coaching staff. Woods tabulated 426 receiving yards on 75 targets last year, his first in Houston, as a WR3-WR4.
Janik Eckardt of PurplePTSD, a sister site to VikingsTerritory, recently wrote about Woods as a Viking, “Robert Woods is an old friend of head coach Kevin O’Connell. When he coordinated the offense on Sean McVay’s Rams, Woods was Cooper Kupp’s wingman. Now 32 years old, the veteran is stuck on a remarkable depth chart in Houston behind last year’s standouts Nico Collins and Tank Dell, the trade acquisition Stefon Diggs, and Noah Brown. The team will also attempt to insert former second-rounder John Metchie into their offensive plans.”
Otherwise, if Texans pundits have it wrong, Metchie or Brown could hit the open market, and both might be upgrades to Minnesota’s current WR3 situation.
Finally, another fascinating team to watch in this roster-cut vein? The New York Giants.
New York, too, could have a roster casualty that piques Minnesota’s interest. One of the Isaiahs would fetch free-agent attention near the end of August if so.
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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