Vikings’ WR3 Plan Is Starting to Take Shape
For about three months, Minnesota Vikings fans have pondered which man might emerge as the club’s WR3 in 2024 — Brandon Powell, Jalen Nailor, or Trent Sherfield.
Vikings’ WR3 Plan Is Starting to Take Shape
Additionally, folks wondered why general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pursued no free agents like Tyler Boyd or D.J. Chark or rookies from the 2024 NFL Draft like Javon Baker or Jamari Thrash, for example.
Well, the evidence is building: the Vikings like what they have at WR3, particularly the upside of third-year pass-catcher Jalen Nailor.
Training camp kicked off this week, and according to The Athletic, Nailor could be the frontrunner to win the position battle — which was likely the plan all along. “When Jalen Nailor is healthy, he stands out. Wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell directed the Vikings receivers through early drills Wednesday, and Nailor appeared bulkier than in years past,” Alec Lewis wrote Wednesday.
Nailor recorded 9 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown in his rookie campaign (2022), along with some flamboyant clips to satiate fans’ appetites for his long-term trajectory. Incidentally, Nailor did most of his damage in “garbage time” that season and will hope to repeat the production — and then some — in the middle of games at some point in 2024.
In that limited sample, Nailor showed the gumption to thrive at the NFL level, and it will be up to him to determine if he’s got the grit for WR3 or WR4 on an every week basis. He laid the blueprint down the stretch of 2022.
Lewis also mentioned Nailor’s possible WR3 frontrunner status. “If he stays healthy, he is likely the internal favorite to be the team’s No. 3 receiver, a role O’Connell discussed Wednesday,” he explained. “For as much faith as the staff has in Brandon Powell and Trishton Jackson, it still feels like the Vikings could add a more experienced and reliable option at this spot.”
Meanwhile, Kevin O’Connell said about Nailor last month, “Jalen has always been a guy that when he’s healthy and on the field, he shows up on every single opportunity he’s gotten. That’s our challenge to him. Sometimes things are out of your control, and we understand that, but for him to take that next step, we’re going to need to see him out there a lot as part of that group.”
Of course, Lewis’ observation and O’Connell’s endorsement don’t provide Nailor with a clean bill of health. That’s the knock on the man. Nailor had a golden opportunity to prove his mettle in 2023 when Justin Jefferson hurt his hamstring, but he, too, was injured, paving the way for Powell, another WR3 combatant, to emerge.
With the regular season six weeks away, WR3 may be Nailor’s job to lose, especially because Minnesota continues to ignore free agents like Hunter Renfrow and Michael Thomas. So, it’s a waiting game to determine if Nailor’s third season is the special year where his health remains intact. The path to WR3 is clear.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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