The Minnesota Vikings are making special teams moves (again). The team is releasing punter Matt Wile in favor of Britton Colquitt — a fellow punter released by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday — according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Colquitt lost the punting job in Cleveland to Jamie Gillan — also known as the Scottish Hammer. Releasing Colquitt wasn't easy; just last year, Colquitt was a Pro Bowl alternate, as he averaged 45.4 yards per punt. However, Gillan's outstanding preseason (including a long of 74) and youthfulness (22) prevailed.
Colquitt, 34, will replace the 27-year-old Wile. In 2018, he made the Vikings his sixth team in the NFL and proceeded to punt an average of 45.2 yards per attempt. Before a three-season stint with the Dawg Pound, Colquitt punted for the Denver Broncos for six seasons, where he won a Super Bowl.
Of course, Colquitt also replaces Kaare Vedvik. The Vikings traded a 2020 fifth-round pick for the former Baltimore Ravens kicker/punter only to see him miss three field goals. Though he showed promise as a punter, it wasn't enough to beat out Wile. Vedvik is now a New York Jet.
The Vikings have been famed for their inability to reel in quality kicking talent for some time now. While their struggles tend to be more on the kicking end, Colquitt should at least hold down the fort as a punter while Dan Bailey handles field goals and extra points.
