On Tuesday, the NFL announced a three-game suspension for Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison, stemming from his July 2024 DUI arrest in Los Angeles. That's the standard league discipline for such incidents, so this doesn't come as a surprise. Addison will miss games against the Bears, Falcons, and Bengals to begin the 2025 season and will be eligible to return in Week 4.
Addison, who accepted a plea deal last month that reduced his charges, said he was prepared for whatever the league ended up deciding. He'll remain able to participate in training camp without restrictions, and he's eligible to play in the preseason if the Vikings want to get him some in-game reps with J.J. McCarthy this Saturday.
Even though it's a fairly short suspension, it's still worth taking an updated look at the Vikings' depth at wide receiver through two weeks of training camp. Who will have to step up in his absence? Let's break that down into three important questions.
Who is the No. 2 receiver while Addison is out?
There's zero question about who the Vikings' WR3 is at this moment. It's Jalen Nailor, a former sixth-round pick who is coming off a bit of a breakout season (414 yards, 6 TDs) and now enters the final year of his rookie contract. Barring some sort of change, Nailor will step into the No. 2 role alongside Justin Jefferson for the first three games of the season.
Nailor has drawn praise from head coach Kevin O'Connell, who said "he's primed and ready to play a huge role in our offense." He's been one of the primary targets for McCarthy during Jefferson's injury absence at training camp (the Vikings fully expect Jefferson to be healthy for Week 1). The man nicknamed "Speedy" has shown an ability to be a playmaker for the Vikings.
And yet, there are reasons to be a bit concerned about Nailor operating in an every-down role to start the season. Last year, PFF charted him with four drops on 33 accurate targets. That's a 12.5 drop percentage, which was 14th-highest out of 168 players with at least 40 total targets on the season. Throughout training camp, Nailor hasn't had too many blatant drops, but he's struggled to come down with difficult or contested catches that you'd like to see him make.
Who's competing for the temporary No. 3 role?
Behind Nailor, the picture is less certain. The primary player who has been working with the first-team offense during training camp, while Jefferson has been out, is Lucky Jackson, a 28-year-old former UFL standout who has spent most of the last two seasons on Minnesota's practice squad. Jackson knows the offense and has done some nice things in camp, but will he really be the WR3 to begin the season? He's played a total of three regular season offensive snaps in his NFL career.
Another option is Rondale Moore, an offseason acquisition who is younger and has far more experience in the league. The former Cardinals second-round pick is coming off of missing all of last season due to an ACL injury, but he's looked healthy and explosive in camp. He's only 5'7", but Moore is a weapon with the ball in his hands and has the route-running ability to be more than a gadget player.
Others could be in the mix as well. Tim Jones, another free-agent pickup, is a strong run blocker at outside receiver who had 17 receptions over three seasons with the Jaguars. Some will assume third-round rookie Tai Felton would be a logical candidate for expanded playing time, but Felton has looked very raw during camp and may need what amounts to a redshirt year. He might not even be ahead of guys like Jeshaun Jones and Thayer Thomas on the depth chart.
Will the Vikings look to add from outside the building?
Nailor's up-and-down training camp performance, combined with the uncertainty behind him, could theoretically lead Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to look externally for a receiver who could come in and play a meaningful role in Addison's absence. As for who that might be, all we can do is speculate.
It might make sense, if realistic, to target a former Vikings receiver who already knows the offense. Adam Thielen could be one such possibility. Thielen turns 35 in a couple weeks, but he still had a solid season for the Panthers last year. He has one year left on his contract, so the Panthers might not be opposed to moving his $6.25 million base salary for a late-round pick. Carolina could lean into youth at the receiver position with Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, and Jalen Coker. Thielen wouldn't need much time to get up to speed in Minnesota, and he's already worked out with McCarthy in the offseason. On paper, it's a logical fit.
Other former Vikings receivers from the O'Connell era who are out there include K.J. Osborn (Commanders) and Brandon Powell (free agent). Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper are the two biggest names who are still free agents at the receiver position, but a splash like that seems unlikely. There could be any number of other trade targets around roster cutdown day in three weeks.
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