Last year, the Minnesota Vikings broke one of the rare unwritten rules, in a roundabout way, of spending a draft pick on a kicker. They drafted Will Reichard out of Alabama, and in the preseason, he proved his worth and value immediately by putting on a kicking display that had fans clamoring for more.
Well, they probably wanted touchdowns, but you get the point.
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Fast forward a few weeks, Will “The Thrill” Reichard was still money for the Vikings until a hamstring injury caused him to miss some time, and unfortunately, he never returned to form. While the offseason often cures most injuries, both physical and mental, it seems that Reichard is still dealing with something in one facet or the other heading into the new season.
Last week, Reichard missed two kicks in game situations in practice from under 50 yards, and one over that distance. Fast forward to Saturday, the former Crimson Tide product missed more kicks. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reported that Reichard missed from inside 40 yards this time, but on two separate occasions.
While no one wants to overreact to training camp kicking situations, this is not inspiring news heading into the first preseason game. His production against the Texans on August 9 will be telling of what is next for the team.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: The Vikings are facing a harsh reality with their kicker Will Reichard