Vikings training camp position preview: Special teams

We're taking a look at each Vikings position group as training camp gets underway. Next up: Special teams.

Kicker: Greg Joseph, Jack Podlesny.

Punter: Ryan Wright.

Long snapper: Andrew DePaola.

Kick returner: Kene Nwangwu.

Punt returner: Jalen Reagor, Brandon Powell, Jalen Nailor.

In: Powell (free agent), Podlesny (undrafted rookie).

Out: None.

The Vikings re-signed Joseph to a one-year deal but weren't totally ready to commit to the up-and-down kicker, so they brought Podlesny in from Georgia to compete with him. A year ago, Wright was undrafted out of Tulane, unseated veteran punter Jordan Berry and went on to become one of the NFL's top punters. Wright wasn't top 10 in average (47.4) or net average (42.5), but he had a league-low one touchback in 73 attempts while ranking fifth in percentage of punts inside the 20 (44.7). He also threw for a first down on a fake punt in the win over the Saints.

Nwangwu is one of the top kick returners in the league with an NFL-leading three touchdowns in his two seasons. The new rule placing the ball at the 25-yard line on fair catches outside the end zone could discourage the Vikings from being as aggressive with Nwangwu as they have in the past. Punt returner is unsettled with the incumbent, Reagor, on the roster bubble and coming off a bland season in which he averaged just 6.4 yards on 26 returns. The team signed the former Ram Powell in hopes of providing some sort of spark at that position. Nailor also is a possibility.

Meanwhile, the team is set at long snapper, where the 35-year-old DePaola became a first-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro pick in his eighth season a year ago.

Kicker. Joseph had an odd 2022 season. He kicked a league-high five game-winning field goals, including a franchise-record 61-yarder to beat the Giants. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice. And yet he also missed a league-high six PATs while making only 78.8% of his field goal attempts (26 of 33). Six of his seven misses were from 50 yards or longer. Podlesny was a three-year kicker at Georgia, so he's used to pressure kicks at a high level of play. But he also enters the NFL with only a 54% rate of success on field goals of 40 yards or longer.

Powell. One of the smallest players on the field (5-8, 181) could make a sizeable impact at a position that's lacked energy since the days of Marcus Sherels. The fifth-year pro has bounced around the league from Detroit to Atlanta to Buffalo to Miami, the Rams and now here. He spent the past two years with the Rams, averaging 9.6 yards per return last year. A year earlier, he notched his only career touchdown on a 61-yard punt return against the Vikings.

When will O'Connell experience true Purple Pain? – O'Connell was hired by a franchise with a long, painful history of kickers driving coaches and fans crazy with many a blown kick in high-pressure, worst-possible-moment scenarios. Yet the young coach has made it a whopping 18 games without an inconsistent kicker costing him a game. O'Connell was able to remain patient with Joseph last year because nary a one of Joseph's 13 missed kicks cost the Vikings a win. The six missed PATs consistently put O'Connell in sticky situations, but the Vikings, including Joseph, always found a way to wiggle free and win in those games. It's safe to say that kind of luck — especially in the Land of 10,000 Heartbreaks — won't continue into Year 2. So O'Connell needs to pay special attention to how this kicking competition plays out.