Sports
The Vikings Shuffle Wide Receiver Depth Chart By Bumping Up 1 Young Fella
Losing Jauan Jennings for the Week 2 Bears game meant not having the WR3 available. Presumably, that was going to mean more run for Tai Felton.
Not so.
Instead, the Vikings opted to give Myles Price more run in Chicago. Doing so came at the expense of Felton’s playing time, who got chosen in the 3rd Round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Does that decision to feature Price mean the undrafted sophomore is now snuggled into the WR4 job over Felton?
The Vikings are Figuring Out the WR Depth Chart
Almost quietly, Myles Price played half of the game on offense. That easy to miss factoid is further corroboration of how much Minnesota’s coaches trust the undrafted sophomore.
By the final whistle, Price had climbed up to 26 snaps for Kevin O’Connell alongside 6 snaps for Matt Daniels. Essentially, he retained his job as the main returner but then got featured much more prominently on offense to account for Jennings being able due to a personal matter.
Consider the broader playing time allotment for the Minnesota Vikings receivers on offense:
- Justin Jefferson | 52 Snaps, 100%
- Jordan Addison | 46 Snaps, 88%
- Myles Price | 26 Snaps, 50%
- Tai Felton | 0 Snaps, 0%
- Dillon Bell | 0 Snaps, 0%
O’Connell kept the rotation tight among his WRs. Some of that was due to featuring muscle more prominently. Tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver got nice workloads. So did FB Max Bredeson, somebody who has quickly become a key piece of the puzzle.
Still, the playing time discrepancy is noteworthy.
Felton boasts better size, has elite speed, and has proven to be a feisty presence on specials as a gunner who quickly finds himself over the returner’s toes. All of these factors haven’t coalesced into a prominent role on offense.
Instead, Price is the one who looks like the clear WR4. At the very least, that’s due to better trust in the hard-working, compact receiver to function as a blocker. Of his 26 plays, Price was in there for 7 runs, per PFF. He earned a strong 72.8 grade in these opportunities.
On a few different occasions, the Vikings tasked Price with being eye candy. He got moved around as a way to distract the eyes of the defenders, helping to create time and space for other players. Such is life for a depth guy who boasts the build and elusiveness of a gadget guy.
His final stats show a goose egg across the board. Price, in other words, didn’t torch Chicago’s secondary. Do remember, though, that passing yards were hard to come by out there. Carson Wentz completed just 11 passes, so there weren’t many opportunities to go around in the 9-3 victory.
Almost certainly, Minnesota is a better team with Jauan Jennings on the field. The bruiser of a wide receiver is going to become somebody to help move the sticks as a pass catcher and as a blocker. O’Connell is likely very keen about seeing what Kyler Murray can do with all of Jefferson, Addison, and Jennings.
What’s also true is that the development of Myles Price has been a great story in the Twin Cities. Not just a returner, Price looks like he could become a depth option on offense who contributes every so often.
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