Vikings Must Avoid the Carlson Mistake With Reichard
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Before Daniel Carlson became one of the best kickers in the NFL for the Las Vegas Raiders, he was the Minnesota Vikings’ prized possession. Minnesota grabbed him in the fifth round of the 2018 Draft to solve their kicking game once and for all.
Instead, the Vikings ended the experiment by Week 2, giving upon him completely after some early career struggles. Ever since then, Carlson has been money, and the Vikings are still searching for their anchor on special teams.
Now the Vikings once again believe that they have that guy in Will Reichard, who they selected in the sixth round in April’s draft. This time, they can’t make the same mistake, and they have to be willing to play the long game with him. If there are some early career struggles, so be it, it’s on the team to do the work to develop Reichard through them.
Most forget that Carlson was strong in the first game of his career, drilling a 48-yard field goal and going 3-for-3 on extra points in a 24-16 win over the San Francisco 49ers. But the stink of Week 2 was too much for Mike Zimmer to bear. In a rivalry game against the Green Bay Packers, Carlson missed a field goal in regulation and two during overtime. As bad as the game was (and it was brutal), it should be noted that the game still ended not in a loss, but a tie.
Still, Zimmer — who had dealt with plenty of kicker issues during his time with the Vikings — didn’t give him any leash to bounce backand he was released the day after. When asked about the decision to release him, Zimmer was blunt with his response.
“Did you see the game?” and then said it was a “pretty easy” decision.
Carlson signed with the Raiders a month later and has stabilized their kicking game, while the Vikings have had plenty of inconsistency. In 2021, he made 40 of his 43 kicks, including a long of 56 yards. A year after letting the All-Pro go, Zimmer did admit that he regretted the impulsive decision before a game against Carlson’s Raiders.
“Honestly, I’m happy for him,” Zimmer said of Carlson. “I mean, do I have regrets? I like our kicker who we have now, but did I second guess it? Sure. He’s done great there, and I think he’s a very, very talented kid. I wish him well, just not this week. But no, I’m happy for him and in retrospect I guess, yeah, I’ve thought about it many times.”
The Vikings believe that they have finally found their replacement for Carlson in Reichard, who was a standout with the Alabama Crimson Tide. During his career in Tuscaloosa, Reichard made 84 of his 100 field goals and 295 of his 297 extra points. In 2023, Reichard was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year. One of the most impressive parts of Reichard’s game at Alabama was his power, as he hit 10 of his 13 shots from 50 yards or more.
Heading into training camp with the Vikings, Reichard did start with a bit of competition to make the team, with XFL standout Parker Romo on the roster. That’s over. Romo was released earlier this week, which cements Reichard as the 2024 starter.
For good reason, too. Since the beginning of training camp, Reichard has been consistent, especially with kicks within the 50-yard line. In Saturday’s practice, Reichard went 5-for-5 on field goals between 33 and 48 yards.
Tuesday was a bit rougher, though. Reichard missed two of his three situational kicks at the end of practice, and those struggles are inevitably going to crop up during game action. There was so much buzz around Reichard early during training camp because of his consistency, but there will be some misses — every kicker has them. The Vikings need to remember that, and they can’t make the same rash decisions that Zimmer made.
The Vikings and their fans are used to kicker struggles, and the first time Reichard misses a 35-yarder during a game, a level of doomeristic panic will settle into the fanbase. Every time a kicker has missed a field goal since 1998, you can hear Vikings fans groaning, here we go again.
That pessimism can’t filter up to the Vikings coaches and front office if Reichard struggles. Just like with a rookie quarterback, or receiver, or linebacker, or anyone else, Reichard is going to need some time to figure it out before Minnesota can give up on him. Especially in a season for the Vikings that many believe could be a down year, there is no reason to release him to give another run to Greg Joseph or some other kicker who has had consistency issues during his career.
The Vikings and their fans hope this never has to be a question, and that Reichard immediately becomes the automatic three points he was at Alabama. That’s the kind of kicker the Vikings have coveted for years. Reichard has that track record and potential, but if he’s not that right away, the Vikings can’t release him. It’s a development year, and they have a development kicker. Develop him.
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