The Minnesota Vikings placed rookie kicker Will Reichard and All-Pro long snapper Andrew DePaola on injured reserve on Tuesday, making it necessary to switch both positions for at least the next four games.
The Vikings planned to sign kicker John Parker Romo and long snapper Jake McQuaide as replacements, according to a source familiar with the decisions who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, as the contracts had not been finalized.
Romo, 27, has never kicked in an NFL regular-season game. He was signed by the Vikings in March but was released a week into training camp after Reichard, a sixth-round draft pick from Alabama, earned the starting job.
Romo began his college career at Central Arkansas and Tulsa before transferring to Virginia Tech. In his final season with the Hokies in 2021, he made all 34 of his extra-point attempts and hit 18 of 22 field goals.
Romo has also spent time with the NFL’s Chicago and Detroit teams and played for the San Antonio Brahmas in the XFL in 2023.
McQuaide, 36, is in his 14th NFL season, with 10 of those years spent with the Rams, first in St. Louis and then in Los Angeles. His last year with the Rams, 2020, was also the first year Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was their offensive coordinator.
Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels was McQuaide’s teammate for two years (2012-13) and later served as his assistant special teams coach with the Rams (2018-19).
McQuaide has also snapped for Dallas and Detroit and most recently had a practice-squad role with Chicago last month. He has played in 190 regular-season games and 10 playoff games.
Reichard is dealing with a quadriceps strain. He was perfect on field goals (14 for 14) and extra points (20 for 20) through the first seven games of the season. However, he missed a 53-yard field goal attempt wide right and hit a 31-yard attempt off the right upright during the second quarter of Sunday’s game against Indianapolis.
Daniels believes the injury occurred after those misses, during an extra point. Reichard finished the game by making all three extra-point attempts in the second half and handled three kickoffs.
“That dude is tough as all get out. He managed to kind of grind it out,” said special teams coordinator Matt Daniels.
Reichard’s field-goal percentage (94.9%) is second only to Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell and Washington’s Austin Seibert among kickers with at least 15 attempts. Reichard is also one of four kickers with 20 or more attempts who has made every extra point this season.
DePaola will have minor surgery on his hand, which was injured during Sunday’s game. DePaola, who was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two years and was named an AP All-Pro in 2023, hasn’t missed a game since joining the Vikings (6-2) midway through the 2020 season.
Both DePaola and Reichard can return to the active roster for the Vikings’ game on Dec. 8 against Atlanta. The Vikings will play at Jacksonville this week, at Tennessee on Nov. 17, at Chicago on Nov. 24, and at home against Arizona on Dec. 1.
