Breaking News: Vikings UFA profile: WR/PR Brandon Powell…
Over the following few weeks, Inside the Vikings will examine each of the 22 Minnesotans who are still eligible to become unrestricted free agents, now that the 2023 season is over. We’ll look at their history and make predictions about their future, especially the possibility that the Vikings will re-sign them this offseason.
Hakeem Adeniji will be the least significant at first, and we’ll work our way up to Kirk Cousins, the biggest fish. BRANDON POWELL, WR/PR, VIKINGS UFA PROFILE The USA TODAY Sports’ Brett Davis The USA TODAY Sports’ Brett Davis 28 years old 2023 stats: 7.8 yards per punt return, 1 touchdown, 341 yards, 34 touches Contract AAV for 2023: $1.23 million In order to provide Jalen Reagor competition for the punt returner position and to bolster their wide receiver depth, the Vikings signed Brandon Powell to a one-year contract during the previous offseason. In Minnesota, he went on to have a career year.
Powell not only averaged a respectable 7.8 yards per return as the Vikings’ punt returner during the season, but he also established a new personal best with 29 catches and 324 receiving yards. Powell was called upon after Justin Jefferson was injured, and from Week 5 to Week 12, he had multiple receptions in all but one game. In five of the eight games, he had at least thirty receiving yards; in Minnesota’s victory over the 49ers, he had sixty-four.
Powell’s presence was crucial as the Vikings adapted to life without Kirk Cousins as well as without Jefferson. Getting the game-winning touchdown pass from Josh Dobbs in Atlanta was his biggest play of the year. Powell, 28, was not selected in the 2018 Florida draft. The 5’8″ wide receiver was a member of the Lions, Falcons, Bills, and Dolphins until joining Kevin O’Connell and the Rams in 2021, when he scored a touchdown on a punt return against the Vikings.
He signed with Minnesota following a strong 2022 year for the Rams as a gadget player and returner. Powell, who just had a stellar year, might be eligible for a raise in 2024. This season, he shown that he can assume a respectable role in the passing game should his number be called. He adds value to the game in several different areas. Since K.J. Osborn is expected to sign a free agent contract elsewhere, it’s possible that the Vikings will want to retain Powell for a further season or two. I appreciate you reading. All season long, be sure to bookmark this page and return often for the most recent Vikings news and analysis.
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