Washington Huskies fans are used to seeing Myles Gaskin in the backfield, but as he dons the purple and gold (or yellow) for the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, he’s going to have a semi-new role.
On Thursday, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told reporters that Washington’s all-time rushing leader is going to act as Minnesota’s starting kick returner to begin the year.
“Right now, it’d be Myles Gaskin,” Adofo-Mensah said. “He had a great camp, won the job, and we’re excited about what he’s bringing…I just want to make it more about Myles. Myles has a really diverse skill set to help us on special teams and offense. We just thought that for roster value, Myles was a better decision.”
Gaskin has acted as a kick returner before, but he hasn’t done it very much. Over his four years on Montlake, he returned a total of 6 kicks for 90 yards. He saw the most action on special teams during his senior year, when he took 4 kickoffs for 74 yards, which carried over into the early part of his NFL career.
During the 2021 season with the Miami Dolphins, Gaskin took 2 kickoffs for 29 yards, but hasn’t been asked to return kicks since. Despite the rust, head coach Kevin O’Connell feels confident in the five-year veteran.
“His versatility to be a true three-down back from a standpoint of what he had improved on during his time here, the work he put in that changed his physical style as a player,” O’Connell said. “From the quickness to the strength, to some of the things that showed up in the non-returning phase of the kicking game. We felt like he had earned the opportunity.”