Aug 24, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Myles Gaskin (37) walks on the field after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings had a plan at kick returner and RB3 all along.
The Vikings fan community freaked out Tuesday when long-time speedster Kene Nwangwu found the exit sign via roster waiver, but the team’s brass revealed Thursday that the responsibility would belong to running back Myles Gaskin, who currently lives on the practice squad.
Like Nwangwu on Tuesday, Gaskin was waived but returned to the practice squad. Nwangwu, on the other hand, joined the New Orleans Saints.
The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis tweeted Thursday, “Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensay says Myles Gaskin will be the kick returner and RB3.”
And general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said about Gaskin, the new RB3: “Myles just has a really diverse skill set to help us on special teams and offense.”
Thereafter, head coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned that Nwangwu’s exit was about Gaskin’s emergence on offense and special teams. O’Connell noted on the NFL’s new kickoff return rule: “Everybody is still determining what this new kickoff return format will be. It’s going to be a work in progress regarding the opportunities you do and don’t get.”
Before Thursday, the Vikings listed Ty Chandler and Brandon Powell as kick returners on the initial depth chart, but the duty will evidently swing to Gaskin. In 2021, the Miami Dolphins — a team head coached by Brian Flores — trusted Gaskin with kickoff returns (the old format) a couple of times, and he returned 6 kicks in four years at the University of Washington from 2015 to 2018.
Gaskin originally joined the Vikings roster late in the summer of 2023 after the club auditioned men like Kareem Hunt and Mike Davis for the gig. The Dolphins cut Gaskin loose during roster trimdowns, and Minnesota pounced. After that, he was the odd man out (for a while) when Adofo-Mensah swung a low-risk trade for Cam Akers last September. Gaskin then returned to the Vikings practice squad. He ended up seeing action in two Vikings games — 6 special teams coverage snaps.
The overall takeaway(s) from Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell’s Thursday press conference is twofold: a) The RB3 mystery is over — it’s Gaskin, at least for now. b) With Nwangwu in New Orleans, Minnesota has a new kick returner, and they weren’t afraid to promote him.
Minnesota’s regular season kicks off in 10 days, a meeting at MetLife Stadium with the New York Giants. The point spread is even; there is no favorite.
Gaskin turned 27 this offseason.
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 Vikings 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.