The Vikings have had Britton Colquitt as the team’s starting punter for the past two seasons and all of this preseason, but Minnesota still opted for change.
The Vikings released Colquitt and signed Jordan Berry, a punter who has been with the Steelers for six seasons. Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer talked about the switch at punter recently:
“He’s got a big leg. He’s done it for a while, just trying to get a little bit more hang time and distance.”
This past season, Berry had a net average of 45.77, which ranked him 16th in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Berry also had 25 punts pinned inside the 20-yard line, which ranked tied for 11th in the league.
Colquitt had a net average of 45.09 this past season for the Vikings, per PFF. That ranked him 21st in the league. He had just 12 punts pinned inside the 20. Overall, Colquitt did not live up to his contract in 2020.
Colquitt did a nice job of bouncing back after a rough game in the preseason opener. Though that may have not earned him back his roster spot, he could still land with another team in 2021. Maybe the Vikings sign him to the practice squad if not.