A Surprising Vikings Roster Battle Is Heating Up
Nobody knows for sure who will return kicks and punts for the 2025 Minnesota Vikings.
A Vikings roster battle is emerging in the shadows — and it could shake up the summer. Here’s the skinny.
It’s an undercover mystery for the purple team, one that will take shape in one month at training camp and bleed into the preseason.
Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels talked about the battles last week via Vikings.com.
Kick + Punt Return Jobs Up in the Air
Foremost, why are the return jobs unclear? Brandon Powell, a veteran wide receiver, handled punt returning duties in the last two seasons, but Minnesota did not re-up for his services in 2025. He’s a free agent.
For kicks, Ty Chandler, Cam Akers, and Myles Gaskin shared the responsibilities in 2024. Akers and Gaskin no longer work for the team, and Chandler could be a roster cut candidate after the preseason.
And just like that, a returner mystery is born.
Matt Daniels on the Vikings Roster Battles
So when Daniels spoke about the upcoming camp battle at KR and PR, the comments were insightful.
“The biggest thing is, ‘How well do these guys track it and catch it?’ That’s going to be the number one thing that we’re looking for. Possession of the football is number one in that phase,” Daniels said to reporters last week.
“And from there, obviously it’s going to be the decision making, and you don’t really get to see too much of that in a practice element. So you’ve got to be able to kind of throw those guys out there in the preseason just to see how well do they respond to decision making. ‘Can I fair catch it? Am I able to go up and steal yards in terms of the short punt versus do I let it hit the ground?'”
The Vikings’ special teams, overall, ranked 27th per DVOA in 2024, also known as sixth-worst in the business.
Daniels added, “And so, decision-making is going to be huge. We’ve got to make sure we can a good bit of reps, as much as we can during the preseason, kind of help us figure out who that guy’s going to be.”
Meet the Vikings Players Who Could Emerge at KR and PR
Kick Return Contenders
Who might return kicks for the 2025 club?
These are the contenders:
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Ty Chandler
- Rondale Moore
- Tim Jones
Daniels also said specifically about Rodgers, his new cornerback: “He’s been an elite guy back there with the ball in his hands. When you look at the impact that this kick is going to have with the ball being put in play, field position mattering so much, we’ve got to be able to kind of weigh what the risk-reward is going to be, just in terms of trying to keep this guy healthy.”
“The off-returner was really the most injured player in this play [in 2024], so if we can try to keep him away from being the off-returner, I think we’ll have some success in terms of keeping him healthy, but also being able to have him as our returner. It’s not many guys that can bend and weave through traffic but still maintain good speed. He’s got such good hips and start-stop ability that you appreciate.”
Punt Return Contenders
As for punts, these are the main candidates:
- Jalen Nailor
- Silas Bolden
- Rondale Moore
- Tavierre Thomas
Nailor is likely the frontrunner, but that is not set in stone.
Context from Vikings.com
Craig Peters provided more context on the impending battles last week: “It’s likely the kickoff return and punt returner spots won’t be decided for a while, perhaps even after preseason games offer another metric for evaluation. Chandler led the 2024 Vikings with eight returns and 205 yards, averaging 25.6, but the only other players who returned a kickoff (Cam Akers and Myles Gaskin with three each) became free agents.”
“Jalen Nailor (one return that was muffed) was the only player other than departed free agent Brandon Powell who returned a punt for Minnesota. Powell returned 23 for 164 yards, an average of 7.1.”
With the additions of Rondale Moore, Isaiah Rodgers, Tai Felton, and undrafted rookie Silas Bolden this offseason, the Vikings emphatically emphasized speed. And that can’t hurt the return game.
Peters concluded, “Rondale Moore handled kick and punt return duties for Arizona in 2021 but is coming off a knee injury suffered last year during Falcons training camp. Another element Rodgers brought is having returned 69 kickoffs during his NFL career and six more in high-pressure playoff games.”
The Vikings will announce the return men near the end of August.
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