Vikings' tight trio of specialists have crushed it
Will Reichard, Ryan Wright and Andrew DePaola have put together Pro Bowl-caliber seasons, in part because of how they help each other
By Matthew Coller
EAGAN — Minnesota Vikings long snapper Andrew DePaola had never heard of the statistic “Expected Points Added” before I dropped a gem of a statistic on him at his locker on Thursday. He was unaware that the Vikings rank No. 1 in the NFL in Expected Points Added via punts and field goals.
The average EPA this season is +2.0 points on punts and +8.8 on field goals. The Vikings’ punt unit is blowing that out of the water with +11.8 (second) and the Vikings’ kicking is No. 1 with 24.3 points added (per TruMedia).
Put a little more simply: The Vikings have a -18 overall point differential but if they had only average punting and kicking, the stat estimates that they would be about 25 points worse than that this season.
Never has the excellence of punter Ryan Wright and kicker Will Reichard been on display more than their matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Wright punted only twice but one of them was a 65-yarder that pinned Dallas back and the other went 47 yards out of bounds at the Dallas 10.
On Wednesday, head coach Kevin O’Connell recalled the importance of the 65-yard punt, which came after the Vikings were down seven points and just had a three-and-out.
“We wanted to get off to a fast start in the football game [against Dallas], and we [have an interception] and all of a sudden, a fake field goal later, we’re down 7-0. And then, we don’t get really sustained on the next drive. And it’s a moment in time in the game where, if we can pin them deep and get a defensive stop, possibly capture a little bit of momentum and tie the football game up,” O’Connell said.
Then with 1:13 left to go in the game, Reichard booted a 53-yarder to put the Vikings up by 11, essentially ending any chance of a comeback by the Cowboys. Had he missed, Dallas would have been down 8 points with the ball in Vikings territory.
O’Connell also pointed out that DePaola had a matchup against a player on the Cowboys who had several blocked kicks this year and “answered the bell.”
After the game, O’Connell awarded DePaola, Reichard and Wright game balls.
All year long, the trio has come through like they did in Dallas. If we look at the more traditional statistics, the Vikings are No. 1 in net yards per punt and tied for sixth with the highest field-goal percentage with the second most makes from 50+.
While DePaola has been elite as a long snapper since he arrived, earning Pro Bowl honors three times and All-Pro twice, Wright and Reichard have gone through some bumps in order to get to this point.
In 2024, the Vikings were 26th in net yards per punt, 14th in punting EPA and Reichard finished 25th in field goal percentage.
“Even though Will’s a young player, he’s incredibly reliable,” O’Connell said. “He’s had an unbelievable year. Ryan Wright’s been consistently getting better. Andrew DePaola…has always been as consistent as any player in our organization…they’ve been a huge part for us winning in a year where maybe we haven’t taken the normal path that we’ve been accustomed to.”
What’s behind the gains that this terrific trio of specialists has made?
There’s some interesting details from a technical perspective that special teams coordinator Matt Daniels has shared throughout the year. With Wright, they have focused on how he’s dropping the ball in the air and the line that he’s aiming on.
“We’re doing 100 drops a day, whether we’re practicing or whether we’re not, whether it’s a walk-through day, whether we’re punting or whether we’re not,” Daniels said. “A result of having those ball drops, 100 drops a day and walking those lines every single day, you start to start to create muscle memory and with that muscle memory becomes confidence and with that confidence allows you to go out and execute an elite level.”
When it comes to Reichard, the key has been adapting his schedule to make sure that he remains healthy throughout the year. In his rookie season, he got off to a flawless start but suffered and injury and struggled at times when he returned.
But there’s something more that goes beyond the specialists simply trying to improve. They have had an advantage that folks in the kicking game don’t always get: Camaraderie.
Over the last two years, the DePaola, Wright, Reichard unit has been able to develop together, battle through tough times and lean on each other for feedback and support.
Their connectivity begins with each player having a similar attitude toward football.
“We’re like minded,” DePaola said. “They both like to work, like me. They like to work on their crafts. They have pride in what they do. They’re OK with not being the center of attention and just being like, I’m going to do my job for the team, and move on. And I think something that we do really well as a unit is we celebrate each other’s success.”
DePaola continued…
“My job is all about making sure that they can do their job as well as I can and then I take pride in that, you know? I don’t need recognition for it. I don’t want recognition. I want those guys to have it, right? And they’re the same way. [Will] wants to give the praise to Ryan because Ryan is a great holder…we celebrate each other’s successes and we try and build each other up.”
You might wonder how three dudes supporting each other somehow turns into Expected Points Added. Reichard said that when you build personal relationships with the other guys in the unit, you build trust and trust matters when you’re trying to kick in pressure-packed situations.
“Chemistry is huge, as we all rely on one another to do our own jobs, whether that’s Ryan trusting [DePaola] to get a good snap there and protect, I’m trusting Ryan to hold how I want it,” Reichard said. “The better chemistry that you have, the more trust you have in someone — even if something doesn’t look right, I know that those guys are do their job.”
For both players, DePaola has been there for them to lean on. Reichard came to Minnesota as a highly-touted draft pick last season and faced the pressure of living up to his billing coming out of Alabama. He was able to ask anything of the veteran snapper, who debuted back in 2014 with the Tampa Bay Bucs.
“It’s been a huge help,” Reichard said. “Even the smallest details with our process, he helped on all kinds of ways. I mean, I could go on and on about it. On the field confidence things, mindset, all kinds of things. He’s done it at a high level for a really long time and is someone that I want to pick their brain because I want to know — it’s always good to hear his kind of advice and stuff like that.”
When it comes to that sort of advice, DePaola has tried to impart on his young teammates that they have a rare opportunity to play in the NFL and that it’s helpful to keep perspective even when facing the weekly pressure of kicking and punting. The well-traveled snapper feels like Wright specifically has taken that to heart in 2025.
“I know this year, it seems like he’s kind of tried to enjoy it a little bit more than a year’s past,” DePaola said. “I’ve tried to help him with that and just kind of just say, you are only one of 32. We need to step back and enjoy this. I think this year he’s finally sort of embraced that and been like, ‘yeah, you know what? I’m going to enjoy this.’ …I’ve been happy to see him kind of enjoy it a little bit more.”
The trio of specialists’ attempt to enjoy the moment was on display when they went viral last week when Vikings Entertainment produced video with the three of them trying to sing in barbershop style asking for Pro Bowl votes. It made it funnier when you know that Wright and Reichard are the farthest things from self promoters.
“Neither of those guys is exactly the loudest,” DePaola said laughing.
But the environment in the specialists’ room would not be what it is without Matt Daniels.
Handling kickers and punters is a challenge for special teams coordinators because you can’t just draw them up a nice play and have them go execute it. The mental pressure requires the right touch. The technical details require the right knowledge — and when to be aware of what you don’t know.
Daniels strikes the right notes.
“I think the great thing that Matt has done is... he understands who we are as individuals, especially the three of us,” DePaola said. “He knows which buttons he needs to push. He knows when to push them, he knows when to back off and he also lets us be ourselves within the confines of doing the job the way he wants it. We have a goal in mind. He has a way he wants us to accomplish that goal, but he lets us do it in our way that’s comfortable for us and how we can get it done. And I know personally, you know, I’m not trying toot my own horn, but the last three years that I’ve been with Matt kind of speaks for itself. I kind of came into my own a little bit, and it’s just been a pleasure to work with him.”
DePaola continued…
“It’s just been a really a breath of fresh air these last four years, getting to work with him and I hope the other two guys feel the same, and I think they do.”
As the Vikings go down the final stretch of the season, there are questions to be answered at a number of different positions but one thing the team locked in during 2025 is that they are set with their young kicker and punter and veteran long snapper. They are happy to go forward together.
“It’s great,” Reichard said. “You always want to come to work with people that you enjoy being around.”
All 3 should be All Pro