The Minnesota Vikings have gotten off to a strong start to the 2026 NFL season, currently sitting at 2-0 after a recent ugly road win over the Chicago Bears. The Vikings' offense wasn't anything to write home about in that one, but the defense was mightily impressive in shutting down a Bears offense that had hung 50 the week before.
Now, the Vikings have begun to address an issue on special teams in the wake of a key injury.
“The Vikings held a punter workout today, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said, as P Brett Thorson works through a hamstring injury on his kicking leg. Unclear yet whether they can get Thorson ready for Sunday,” reported NFL insider Kevin Seifert of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network later reported on X that “The #Vikings worked out three punters today: Former All-Pro Johnny Hekker, who was with them this summer, veteran Matt Haack, and rookie Jack Stonehouse.”
Of course, the hope is that Thorson will be good to go for Minnesota's next game, but the team is clearly taking no chances on having someone ready to go in case he isn't.
Punting is one of the many areas where head coach Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings have found advantages in the margins over the years, finding creative ways to carve out wins even when they may be overmatched from a talent perspective.
Minnesota has continued that trend so far this year, although the team clearly does have plenty of standout players on the defensive side of the ball, led by Dallas Turner.
The Vikings will next hit the field on Sunday on the road vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hopefully with Thorson in the lineup.