RB Myles Gaskin could open the season as Vikings' kick returner

The Vikings' confidence in Gaskin was a reason they were comfortable waiving Kene Nwangwu.

Aug 24, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Myles Gaskin (37) runs the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. / Caean Couto-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings' surprising decision to waive running back and kick returner Kene Nwangwu was mostly about their belief in Myles Gaskin, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell said on Thursday. He's on the practice squad right now, but the veteran Gaskin will likely be elevated to the game day roster in Week 1 to serve as the Vikings' RB3 and kick returner.

"Right now, it'd be Myles Gaskin," Adofo-Mensah said when asked who the Vikings' kick returner is. "He had a great camp, won the job, and we're excited about what he's bringing."

Gaskin, who was a big part of the Dolphins' offense in 2020 and '21, has returned just eight total kicks between his college and NFL career, and none since he had two with Miami three years ago.

On the subject of waiving Nwangwu, who was one of the NFL's most dangerous return specialists in his first couple seasons, Adofo-Mensah said it was "more about Myles."

"Kene has been a good player for this organization since he was drafted, great person," he said. "I just want to make it more about Myles. Myles has a really diverse skill set to help us on special teams and offense. ... We just thought that for roster value, Myles was a better decision."

What Adofo-Means seems to mean when he uses the term "roster value" is that the Vikings believe Gaskin can be called upon to fill a wider range of roles during a game than Nwangwu. Kevin O'Connell also brought that idea up. Teams can have 48 players on their active game day roster, so the more roles you can fill on special teams, the more valuable you are.

Basically, even with Nwangwu's track record as a kick returner, the Vikings chose to keep Gaskin on their practice squad because they trust him as a running back (and pass protector), a potential returner, and as someone who can play on the kickoff coverage unit. With the new kickoff format the league is implementing this year, physicality becomes more important in that phase.

"That move was about Myles Gaskin," O'Connell said. "His versatility to be a true three-down back from a standpoint of what he had improved on during his time here, the work he put in that changed his physical style as a player — from the quickness to the strength, to some of the things that showed up in the non-returning phase of the kicking game. We felt like he had earned the opportunity."

O'Connell was less clear than Adofo-Mensah about who the Vikings' kick returner will be, saying "we're going to work through some different guys, Myles being one of them."

It'll be very interesting this year to see how the Vikings and the rest of the league approach this new kickoff format, both from a return standpoint and from a kicking standpoint.

"Everybody's still determining what this play is even going to be," O'Connell said. "It's going to be a work in progress."

It'll also be interesting to see what happens with Nwangwu, who was waived by the Saints with a failed physical designation on Thursday.