The Minnesota Vikings got a come-from-behind 24-23 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in their preseason opener, largely thanks to rookie No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy.
He was not alone, however, completing passes to five different receivers in the contest, including two different targets on his pair of touchdown passes. Wide receiver Jalen Nailor was not on the receiving end of either of McCarthy’s touchdown throws.
However, Nailor did receive high praise from Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
O’Connell touted the former 2022 sixth-round draft pick’s work to improve, to which Nailor responded “stacking days” in a post quoting a clip of his head coach’s comments.
“Everybody here has been at training camp seeing him make plays, so to see him show up – what did he have? Three for 63 [yards]. Three explosives – that’s what he’s capable of. Really, played X tonight, so in Justin Jefferson‘s spot in that first group and showed up. I mean showed up. Ran some really good routes, has a great way about him,” O’Connell told reporters on August 10.
“He also has a versatility to maybe go inside, and we’re going to continue to feed him and give him ops because we’ve all always been excited about him. It’s just been an availability thing. And he stacked some really, really good weeks together now which has always been kind of to be expected as long as he can keep putting it together. And I’m really proud of where he’s at. The work, the offseason getting ready to go with a real laser focus on what he wants to accomplish this year.”
Vikings Need New WR3
GettyJalen Nailor #83 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Nailor was the No. 191 pick in 2022. He appeared in 15 games as a rookie, finishing the campaign with nine receptions for 179 yards and one touchdown. Hamstring issues interrupted his 2023 season, and he finished with a 3-29-0 line in six games.
The opportunity is there. The Vikings must replace K.J. Osborn as WR3 in the offense.
Super Bowl champion Brandon Powell is on hand to soak up some portion of the 75 targets Osborn received along with Lucky Jackson and Trent Sherfield.
They were on the receiving end of McCarthy’s touchdown passes and may have given themselves a boost in the competition for looks during the regular season. Osborn turned his opportunities into 48 receptions for 540 yards and three scores.
Jefferson and No. 2 wideout Jordan Addison are entrenched in their spots in the pecking order.
The Vikings’ receivers after them offer a variety of skill sets which could lead to a platoon effort to replace Osborn.
Jalen Nailor Must Stay on the Field in 2024
GettyJalen Nailor #83 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Osborn saw 78% of the team’s offensive snaps in his 16 games played and 73% of the team’s overall offensive snaps in 2023, per Pro Football Reference. That was boosted by Jefferson’s injury absence, which led to him having a 49% snap share.
Still, Powell was next among the receivers at 36% of the team’s offensive snaps in 2023.
Nailor will need to continue stacking days as he has to separate himself from the rest of the pack in the Vikings wide receiver room.
Nailor logged 94 snaps in 2023, good for a 24% share in the games he played and 8.4% of the team’s overall. Staying on the field will certainly go a long way toward him being able to raise that number in 2024.
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