Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels needs to replace two-thirds of the Vikings’ field-goal and extra-point operations after long snapper Andrew DePaola and kicker Will Reichard were put on injured reserve Tuesday.
Vikings to re-sign kicker John Parker Romo with rookie Will Reichard headed for IR
Romo, a 27-year-old journeyman, will make his NFL debut Sunday. The Vikings also signed long snapper Jake McQuaide with Andrew DePaola joining Reichard on injured reserve.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 6, 2024 at 4:54AM
The Vikings will re-sign kicker John Parker Romo and long snapper Jake McQuaide, NFL sources confirmed, following a tryout at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.
DePaola and Reichard were injured during Sunday night’s win against the Indianapolis Colts. They are required to miss a minimum of four games. The earliest either can play again is Dec. 8 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Romo, who went undrafted in 2022 out of Virginia Tech, spent part of this offseason in Minnesota before being released at the starting of training camp. He’s set to make his NFL debut for the Vikings on Sunday in Jacksonville.
“You definitely don’t want to go into it with the expectation of Will going this week,” Daniels said Tuesday, “and Friday comes around and he’s not feeling his best. We don’t want to ... put him in a bad situation.”
Reichard, a sixth-round pick out of Alabama, said he had been battling leg soreness entering Sunday’s victory when he further strained his right quad. But he didn’t report that leg soreness to the team before Sunday’s game, Daniels said. The rookie has converted 14 of 16 field-goal tries and all 23 extra-point attempts, missing his first two kicks Sunday after converting 34 consecutive tries to begin his NFL career.
McQuaide, 36, is a seasoned replacement. He’s in his 14th year as a former longtime Rams long snapper who has appeared in 200 games. He overlapped one season with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, a former Los Angeles assistant, in 2020. He’s also familiar with the NFC North. McQuaide spent two weeks with the Chicago Bears last month and last appeared in a game last season for the Detroit Lions.
DePaola, 37, appeared to injure his right hand while tackling Colts punt returner Josh Downs during the fourth quarter.
Replacing two of three specialists is no easy task for Daniels.
“It’s tough,” Daniels said, “especially when it’s at the kicker and snapper position because that requires the most [synchrony]. ... But that’s why you get labeled the title of coach.”
Trade deadline passes
The Vikings did not make any other moves ahead of the NFL trade deadline Tuesday afternoon. The team recently acquired left tackle Cam Robinson and running back Cam Akers via trade.
“There’s a lot of those things that never really materialize,” O’Connell said Monday. “We’re also very cognizant and aware of our team and what’s been built here, and we have a lot of confidence in our team. But if there’s an opportunity to improve our team, or there’s an opportunity to improve our ability to build the team in the future, I think it’s something we’ll consider.”
General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t have many 2025 draft picks at his disposal. The Vikings currently have only three selections — a first-rounder and two fifths — next spring (before compensatory picks are awarded), so both trades last month involved 2026 draft selections.
On Wednesday, the Vikings shipped a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Jaguars for Robinson and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Both picks are on condition of Robinson’s playing time. On Oct. 15, the Vikings acquired Akers and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick from the Houston Texans for a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick.
The Vikings lost one player, but not via trade. The New England Patriots signed guard Tyrese Robinson off the Vikings practice squad. Robinson, undrafted in 2022 out of Oklahoma, spent 14 months on the Vikings roster, originally signing when he was cut by the Philadelphia Eagles after training camp in 2023.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is completing more passes more often for more touchdowns than he ever has. “What we’re trying to get from Sam is to play the best football of his career,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
