On Monday, ESPN's 32 NFL reporters identified a player from each team with an equally revered skill set.
Any guesses as to who is best suited for the expanded workload on the Vikings?
Kevin Seifert wrote the following:
The Vikings don't have any obvious candidates, so let's nominate Isaiah Rodgers, who has already scored two defensive touchdowns this season and also hit the highest game speed recorded in the NFL Next Gen Stats era. Rodgers got to 23.32 mph while chasing Steelers receiver DK Metcalf across the field on an 80-yard touchdown. At UMass in 2019, Rodgers fielded 53 kick returns for 1,295 yards, both of which ranked No. 1 among all FBS players that season. Rodgers has been begging Vikings coaches to allow him to return kickoffs, but he has been too valuable on defense to risk a special teams injury. Still, it's easy to envision Rodgers lining up as a wide receiver and simply outrunning defensive backs to an open space.
While we're at it, we may as well stoke the two-way flames with a few more offerings.
Another of Minnesota's cornerbacks, Byron Murphy, Jr., has the requisite speed, hops and ball skills to catch at least a couple dozen passes on offense. While Murphy's hands aren't as polished as Justin Jefferson's – Murphy left a few interceptions on the grass in his 2024 Pro Bowl campaign – he was a bona fide two-way star in high school, hauling in 88 receptions for 1,733 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior.
We're also intrigued by what Vikings outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel could do as tight ends. The former has as good of a burst as anyone, which could help him slip past coverage, and the latter has a special knack for intercepting passes that stress his hand-eye coordination.
Check out every potential two-way threat listed by the NFL Nation staff here.