The Vikings are treading familiar waters this offseason.
Minnesota has offensive line issues. The team might want to add a cornerback. And Kirk Cousins has come under fire from fans, though much of the criticism is unfair.
Here’s another not-so-new story: Minnesota has a kicking problem. Dan Bailey is coming off a season where he made 68.2% of his field goals and 86.% of his extra points. Both of those marks are career lows.
I’ve seen some suggest that the Vikings should stick with Bailey, because a historically accurate kicker like him is bound to get back on track. I’m not so sure of that.
His recent body of work actually suggests a decline. In 2017 and 2018, Bailey made just 75% of his field goals.
But in 2019, the Vikings stuck with him and were rewarded for it. He made 93.1% of his field goals. That led to the team re-signing him last offseason. Then, he struggled in 2020. An NFL season can be a small sample size, but Bailey has been inconsistent three of the last four seasons.