One of the more publicized supposed weaknesses for the Minnesota Vikings heading into the 2024 season was their situation at the third wide receiver spot. Many thought the Vikings had a big hole in their roster at the position and needed to upgrade. The Vikings’ front office thought otherwise and trusted what they had in-house with wide receiver Jalen Nailor.
Through the first three games of the season, Nailor has performed well in his position, giving the Vikings seven receptions on nine targets and turning those seven catches into 106 yards and three touchdowns. Combine that with the added receiving element out of the backfield with Aaron Jones, and the Vikings passing attack has worked well through three games — despite the absence of tight end T.J. Hockenson all season and wide receiver Jordan Addison for two games.
While Nailor has performed admirably as the team’s third option, that hasn’t stopped NFL analysts from speculating on what the Vikings may do at the position for the rest of 2024 and into 2025. Last week, the Bleacher Report Scouting Department suggested the Vikings should sign former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Russell Gage to boost the core group and give them another option at WR3.
This week, the team at Bleacher Report has doubled down on their opinion that the Vikings need to get better at WR3. While they aren’t suggesting the Vikings make a move immediately this week, they have linked the Vikings to former Cincinnati Bengals and current Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tyler Boyd.
The Bleacher report argues that Boyd would be a “perfect fit” in the WR3 spot for the Vikings, as that was his primary responsibility for the Cincinnati Bengals in a wide receivers room with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Boyd has consistently been one of the better tertiary options in the league, putting up over 2,200 yards and seven touchdowns during his three seasons as the Bengals’ third option.
Boyd hasn’t gotten off to a great start with his new team, Tennessee, in an increased role. He has only gotten eight passes for 77 yards through three games with the Titans. Minnesota and their fans may not see WR3 as a need going forward, but it’s clear that the media perception begs to differ.
