Rookie RB Kene Nwangwu Will Be Vikings' Kickoff Returner Against Cowboys

Nwangwu will be Minnesota's kick returner this week when he makes his NFL debut.

Vikings rookie running back Kene Nwangwu is fully recovered from the knee injury he suffered in the preseason opener — which cost him the first couple months of his rookie season — and will make his NFL debut on Sunday night against the Cowboys. 

And he's going to have a role right away: Nwangwu is taking over as Minnesota's kick returner, special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken said on Thursday. Things could change, but that's the plan right now.

“Obviously his speed, how electric he is with that," Ficken said regarding what he saw from Nwangwu in training camp before the injury. "But the way he handles himself in pressure situations, as much as we could in practice, just excited to see him go out there and kind of cut it loose a little bit."

With Ameer Abdullah no longer on the team, the kick returner job was going to come down to either Nwangwu or fellow rookie Ihmir Smith-Marsette. K.J. Osborn struggled in that role last season and is too valuable to the offense to risk putting him back there. Smith-Marsette had some opportunities earlier in the year but didn't do anything to take command of the job, averaging just 20.8 yards on his four returns in Weeks 1-3. He didn't get back to the 25 on any of the four, with an average starting field position just past the 18-yard line.

It makes sense that this would now be Nwangwu's job to lose. The Iowa State product showed off his electrifying speed and acceleration all throughout training camp. He's a ridiculous athlete, with legit 4.3 wheels and plenty of agility and explosiveness to go with it. Just as important is that he has a ton of experience returning kicks, with a robust 26.8-yard average on 92 career returns in college, including a touchdown as a freshman and a 28.9-yard average as a senior.

Here’s Kene Nwangwu housing a kickoff back in 2016. #Vikings pic.twitter.com/L4HmKRKmO4

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) May 1, 2021

Unfortunately, that role may not actually result in much or any action for Nwangwu this week. Touchbacks are way up across the NFL since rule changes were made in recent years. Cowboys kicker Greg Zuerlein has gotten a touchback on 35 of 42 kickoffs this year, good for an 83.3 percent rate that ranks second in the league.

But hey, you never know. Nwangwu figures to be involved in other special teams units as well, and it'll be interesting to see if he gets any snaps on offense as a change-of-pace back or gadget weapon.

Vikings punt returner Dede Westbrook is dealing with an ankle injury this week, but Ficken expects him to be ready to go on Sunday night.

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