The Minnesota Vikings are dealing with injuries to their All-Pro long snapper, Andrew DePaola, and rookie kicker, Will Reichard. These injuries have led the team to explore options for temporary replacements as they face a midseason setback to their highly efficient kicking unit.
DePaola will undergo minor surgery on his hand and will need to be placed on short-term injured reserve, according to coach Kevin O’Connell.
Reichard is dealing with a quadriceps injury that is still being assessed, and it is uncertain whether he will be available for the next game. There’s also a chance that he might need a substitute.
DePaola, who was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two years and was an AP All-Pro in 2023, has been a reliable presence for the Vikings since joining the team in 2020. At 37 years old, he will have to miss at least four games while on injured reserve.
Reichard, the Vikings’ sixth-round pick from Alabama, had been perfect on field goals and extra points in the first seven games of the season. However, he struggled during Sunday’s game against Indianapolis, missing a 53-yard attempt wide right and hitting a 31-yard attempt off the upright.
The Vikings believe these misses were due to the injury Reichard aggravated earlier in the game.
Coach O’Connell expressed his desire to keep Reichard on his strong path, saying, “You’d love to have him continue on the fabulous trajectory he’s been on really since he arrived here.
These things come up. We’ll go through the process here of making sure we put together the best plan to make sure we have him full and doing what he’s doing all season long really up until last night.”
Reichard’s field goal percentage (94.9%) is among the best in the league, behind only Chris Boswell of Pittsburgh and Austin Seibert of Washington for kickers with at least 15 attempts. He is also one of four kickers with 20 or more attempts who has made every extra point this season.
Thanks to DePaola’s work, Vikings punter Ryan Wright ranks second in the NFL, with 53.6% of his punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
The Vikings also announced that left tackle Christian Darrisaw had surgery on Monday to repair the ACL and MCL in his left knee. Darrisaw suffered the season-ending injury during the game on October 24. The surgery was performed by the team’s head physician, Dr. Chris Larson.
