Teams rarely trade a draft pick for a kicker, and especially not for a kicker who has never played in an NFL regular-season game. But the Vikings were so impressed with Kaare Vedvik’s work in the preseason that they traded a fifth-round pick to get him. And the early returns are not great.
Vedvik missed two field goals in his preseason debut with the Vikings, and special teams coordinator Marwan Maalouf made clear that he was not happy about that.
“Disappointing. It’s unacceptable. He knows that. Hopefully this week we’ll get more opportunities. We plan on playing all the guys as much as we possibly can,” Maalouf said.
Vedvik can punt, kick field goals and handle kickoffs, and it’s unclear what role the Vikings will give him. He could supplant kicker Dan Bailey, or punter Matt Wile, or both. But not if he has another “unacceptable” outing in tomorrow’s preseason finale.