From gunner to blocker: Trent Sherfield is fighting his way onto the field for Vikings
The journeyman wide receiver is embracing his many roles, even if they aren't always noticed by the outside world
By Matthew Coller
EAGAN — Trent Sherfield has been everywhere, man.
He’s originally from Danville, Illinois. He went to college a Vanderbilt, which is in Nashville, Tennessee. He signed his first NFL contract as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals of Glendale, Arizona. Three years later he found himself in Santa Clara, California with the San Francisco 49ers. The following season he took his talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Dolphins. Then he opted for a much snowier climate in Orchard Park, New York, playing for the Buffalo Bills.
Now, at age 28, Sherfield has carved out a niche for himself in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the Vikings that he’s hoping gives him a chance to stay in once place for a while.
The niche maybe isn’t the one he envisioned for himself when he arrived in the NFL in 2018. After racking up the eighth highest total in his college’s history in receptions and yards and then running a 4.45 40-yard dash at his pro day, Sherfield found himself on the field often as a rookie receiver for the Cardinals. He caught 19 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown.
Following the immediate success, he figured that bigger things were on the way as a receiver. But that didn’t turn out to be the case. He was only targeted 20 times in 2019 and 2020 with Arizona. It wasn’t until his season in Miami that the journeyman receiver got a significant target share. In 2022, he had 51 passes thrown his way, caught 30 for 417 yards and scored twice.
Again, it seemed like he was on track to getting regular work on offense. Buffalo looked like it had an opportunity for a higher snap count but his targets dropped down to 22 for the 2023 season.
Sherfield spent a lot of time thinking about where his career was headed. As a very religious person, he prayed about it. He decided that he would take a different approach in Minnesota. He remembered that the way he “snuck in the back door” of the NFL was by standing out on special teams in Arizona. He recalled in 2019 when he made a big tackle as a punt gunner and was awarded that job by special teams coach Jeff Rodgers, who liked the cut of his jib.
Sherfield has played over 150 special teams snaps every year since 2019 but he felt that he was holding himself back from fully dedicating to the role because he wanted to be considered a receiver.
It was time to put the ego aside.
“I’m taking it more seriously, I’m more mature now,” Sherfield told Purple Insider on Tuesday. “If I’m being honest with you, I shied away from it earlier in my career because I wanted to show that I’m a receiver but it’s something I realized this year, man, I’m really good at this. It can be a valuable asset for a team.”
When the Vikings lost 2023 punt gunning specialist NaJee Thompson for the season due to an injury, Sherfield called special teams coordinator Matt Daniels and asked if he could take on the role. He hadn’t been a gunner, which is the outside player on punt coverage that often has the best chance at making a tackle, since 2021 but he felt that he could be a difference maker.
Until the Vikings’ matchup with the New York Jets in London, Sherfield had been only sparsely used in that role, in part because the team was short at wide receiver with Jordan Addison out. When he went in for an injured Akayleb Evans, the difference was apparent right away. He made a jumping play to keep a Ryan Wright sky ball out of the end zone, allowing his teammates to down it inside the 5-yard line. Against the Lions he was back in the gunner spot and made two tackles on three trips down the field.
“In any profession, if you’re doing something and you know you’re able to do something greater than what you’re doing, people are going to be like, ‘I shouldn’t be doing this, I should be doing that,’” Sherfield said. “But in my mind, I’m looking at it like, I’m doing both. Yes, I want to catch passes and touchdowns but playing gunner and making tackles is important. If and when my time comes at receiver then I’ll be ready for that.”
So what makes Sherfield good at the difficult task of fighting off blockers on the outside in order to run full speed at the opponent’s shiftiest dude?
“It comes down to want-to,” he said. “It’s something that a lot of guys take it for granted. It’s a matter of will to go make a play.”
OK but how does one go about making a play?
Well, Sherfield explained that it begins at the line of scrimmage, knowing how to defeat blockers on the outside.
“It’s just like running a go ball [route],” Sherfield said. “I’m just releasing off the line of scrimmage and going to make a play. Then the tricky part happens where you have to break down and make a tackle.”
Here’s a look at three of his plays at gunner over the last two games. He roasted the Jets defender to the point of falling down and then ran right past the Lions’ defender twice. You can see him using receiver moves to get off the line of scrimmage quickly.
In the coming weeks we might see Sherfield guarded by two players. There’s a technique for beating that, too.
“There are a lot of different things you can use to defeat the block but the main thing is turning a 2-on-1 into a 1-on-1,” Sherfield said. “The out-of-bounds line is your friend. Get that one guy out of bounds and get him out of the picture, then you have a 1-on-1.”
Around the NFL, teams with top-notch gunners tend to understand the value of that position. For example, this offseason New England extended their ace Brenden Schooler with a deal worth $9 million (up to $10.5 million with incentives) with $3.6 million guaranteed.
Of course, Sherfield isn’t giving up on the offensive side of the ball just because of his dedication for chasing punt returners. He is inspired by Buffalo legend Steve Tasker — a borderline Hall of Famer based solely on his special teams work, yet also caught as many as 21 passes in a single season.
“He was the GOAT [greatest of all time],” Sherfield said. “He was one of those guys that you see both. He could make plays on offense and he could be a really good special teamer. That’s the role that I see myself in in this league. To be able to be on offense and special teams.”
Sherfield’s role on offense has only resulted in three catches for 33 yards so far, but he has been on the field for 83 total plays and as many as 22 in one game vs. Green Bay. He is often on the field as a key blocker at the receiver position.
See, when the Vikings were having an open competition at receiver during training camp, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Sherfield separated himself because of his physical play. He could run through contact from defensive backs on routes and was a legitimate threat as a run blocker.
That isn’t by accident. It’s something he learned from NFL legend / Minnesota native Larry Fitzgerald.
“Most DBs, they don’t want to tackle,” Sherfield said. “They don’t really like being touched. A lot of receivers are like that too. You don’t have a lot of guys who are willing to go in and block. To me, I know how much of a difference it makes being able to open up holes for guys. Having a receiver who can block and run routes makes it that much more difficult for the defense to not know what’s going to happen. They don’t know if it’s going to be a run play or pass play. The run always sets up the pass. I learned from Larry [Fitzgerald] and guys that are older than me that you never want to give the DB a break. Always apply the pressure. Whether that’s blocking [or routes], always nagging them.”
Sherfield studied the last decade’s best blocking receivers like Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Chris Godwin and even San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle.
He knows that the most difficult thing for a defense is when they can’t figure out if the offense is running or passing. Sherfield wants to make sure defenders can’t get any hints from him.
“Those DBs watch film so they can tell when you’re coming off the ball and it’s a run play and you’re not coming off as hard,” he said. “I try to make it all look the same. I love to do it. I try my best to get a pancake every single game.”
Part of Sherfield’s buy-in to his under-the-radar spot on the Vikings’ roster has been because of the coaching staff. In past years, he said, he hasn’t always felt like the special teams roles and less glorified positions were appreciated within the building. He uses the love for long-tenured fullback and special teamer CJ Ham inside TCO Performance Center as evidence that it’s different here.
“Being here has really opened my eyes to the player that I am,” Sherfield said. “Coach Keenan [McCardell] and coach Hat [Matt Daniels] — they make it so easy. Having a coach that you can play for makes it so much easier. Having guys that played, it makes it that much easier. It’s a combination of all those these things that have made me see, Trent, you can carve out a role for yourself and be a vital piece on a team. That’s the thing I’ve been chasing.”
As the 5-1 Vikings go forward with an aim to compete for the NFC North crown, they will need everyone to be on point, not just the receivers who get more receptions. Sherfield is looking forward to doing anything he can to help.
“When you do the dirty work, the reward is going to come,” he said. “I just try to make sure that whatever I’m asked to do, I’m going to excel at it.”