Vikings new special teams coordinator has ties to Rams, too

The Vikings have filled the final coordinator opening on Kevin O'Connell's staff by hiring Matt Daniels as their special teams coordinator.

The team announced Monday afternoon it hired Daniels to replace Ryan Ficken, who became the Chargers' special teams coordinator while the Vikings were in the process of hiring a new head coach. Daniels spent two years as the Rams' assistant special teams coach before O'Connell arrived in Los Angeles. He has been the Cowboys' assistant special teams coach the past two years.

Daniels, 32, spent four years in the NFL as a safety, last playing for the Chargers in 2015 before he joined the Rams' special teams staff in 2018 under John Fassel (who'd coached Daniels in the NFL). Daniels will take over a Vikings group that showed marked improvement during Ficken's only year as special teams coordinator, with rookie Kene Nwangwu returning a league-high two kickoffs for touchdowns.

Daniels is the second coordinator with Rams ties to join the staff. The Vikings also announced they hired former Los Angeles tight ends coach/passing game coordinator Wes Phillips as their next offensive coordinator.

Daniels will have to help the Vikings make decisions on punter Jordan Berry (who will become an unrestricted free agent next month) and kicker Greg Joseph, who'll be a restricted free agent in March. Berry was 13th in the league with a net average of 40.8 yards per punt, while Joseph was 17th in the league with an 86.8 field-goal percentage, going 7-for-9 on kicks of 50 yards or more. Daniels will be assisted by Ben Kotwica, who'd been a special teams coordinator for the N.Y. Jets, Washingtonand Atlantabefore working at Army last season.

In addition to Daniels, Phillips and Kotwica, the Vikings announced they hired former Packers assistant Mike Smith as an outside linebackers coach and pass rush specialist. The team also is bringing back Daronte Jones, who'd been Mike Zimmer's defensive backs coach in 2020, for the same role. Jones left after one season in Minnesota to be Louisiana State's defensive coordinator but was not retained after Brian Kelly became LSU's head coach.