Well, we might as well get to know the kicker the Vikings signed to the practice squad

Chase McLaughlin is a name fans probably know soon enough.

Nothing in sports is more predictable than the Vikings' kicker situation. It's universally known that whoever kicks for the Vikings is going to face intense scrutiny from a nervous fanbase (and head coach) after years of torment. 

Stunningly, 2019 might be more wild than 2018 was, when the Vikings traded up in the draft to take Daniel Carlson, only to release him after he shanked a bunch of kicks against the Packers. 

Carlson is now a reliable kicker for the Raiders, while the Vikings still sit in kicker purgatory still not knowing if Dan Bailey can shake the Vikings Kicker Curse and return to the form that once had him among the most accurate kickers in NFL history. 

Bailey won the job over Kaare Vedvik, whom the Vikings wasted a fifth-round pick to get before making him one of the final roster cuts on Saturday. Vedvik's two-week stay in Minnesota quickly turned into a starting job with the New York Jets. 

Yes, the Jets signed Vedvik to be their No. 1 kicker. Vedvik was also signed to my fantasy football team because, you know, kickers die in Minnesota and return to glory elsewhere. 

But what's the plan if Bailey stinks up the joint the way he did last year? 

Perhaps the addition of punter Britton Colquitt, who claims to be an amazing holder, will clear up all of Bailey's kicking concerns. But if Bailey isn't better than he was last year, Vikings fans will have to get to know the rookie the Vikings snuck onto the practice squad over the holiday weekend. 

Chase McLaughlin was signed Sunday. If his name sounds familiar, it might be because he is the reigning kicker of the year in the Big Ten, having booted a bunch of good field goals and extra points for Illinois. 

McLaughlin made 79-of-79 extra points during his college career while converting 74.6 percent of his field-goal attempts. The 23-year-old made 20-of-25 field goals last year en route to being named First-Team All-Big Ten. 

He went undrafted before signing with the Buffalo Bills. He made all three of his field goals this preseason, including a 54-yarder against the Vikings last week, but was released because the Bills already have a good kicker (ex-Vikings training camp kicker Steven Hauschka). 

It will go unsaid from anyone with the Vikings, but we're here to tell you that Chase McLaughlin is a name you're probably going to get to know if the Vikings Kicking Curse has anything to say about it. 

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