The Vikings May Need to Sign an Old Friend
The Minnesota Vikings will begin the 2025 season with a very different wide receiver room than the one they finished the 2024 campaign with.
A big reason for that is the suspension of Jordan Addison, who will miss the first three games of the regular season. More uncertainty with the current group pertains to the injury sustained by Jalen Nailor last week during practice.
As a result, the Vikings may end up considering the option of bringing back an old friend whose contract expired at the end of last season.
Why the Vikings Might Consider Bringing Back an Old Friend
That player is Brandon Powell, who has spent the past two years with the Vikings, but he has remained unsigned throughout the spring and summer.
Powell will turn 30 in September, and he actually worked with Kevin O’Connell for an additional year when both were members of the Los Angeles Rams when they won a Super Bowl in 2021. Powell played all four of those playoff games on the way to a Super Bowl, primarily as a special teamer. He returned nine punts for 104 yards during those playoffs.
When he joined the Vikings, though, Powell’s role greatly expanded on offense as well. For instance, during his first season in Minnesota, the receiver totaled career highs in receptions (29) and receiving yards (324) while effectively serving as the team’s WR3 for seven games while Justin Jefferson was on the Injured Reserve list with a hamstring.
That production on offense naturally took a dip in 2024 with Jefferson back in the lineup, catching seven passes for 71 yards.
However, considering that, in the best-case scenario, the Vikings likely would be relying on one of Tai Felton, Lucky Jackson, or Tim Jones to fill the WR3 role, it might make sense for Powell to come back simply to fill the void left by Addison for a few games while J.J. McCarthy takes his first regular season NFL snaps.
On top of potentially providing stability to the offense, Powell, as aforementioned, has proven to be a capable punt returner over the years. As of now, particularly after Rondale Moore’s season-ending knee injury, the Vikings don’t have a clear frontrunner for the position.
Lucky Jackson is currently listed as the team’s No. 1 punt return man, but he has not fielded a punt in an actual game during his collegiate, XFL, or NFL careers to this point. Tai Felton is also an option, but on a kickoff return this past Saturday, he fumbled the catch, leaving some questions as to his reliability at the position as a rookie.
UDFAs like Silas Bolden or Myles Price could be in the mix as well, but either one likely would be used exclusively on special teams at this point in their careers.
Powell certainly didn’t light the world on fire as a punt returner in Minnesota (the Vikings ranked 27th in yards per punt return during 2023 and 32nd during 2024), but he is at least a sure-handed player who has also proven he can contribute on offense in a pinch.
Regardless of whether it’s Powell or another veteran, it seems clear at this point that the Vikings are going to need to shop for another wide receiver before the regular season begins, especially if Jalen Nailor were to miss time with injury.
Side note: Powell clearly doesn’t mind Minnesota as he was in attendance for Saturday’s preseason loss against the Patriots.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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