Vikings Sign Britton Colquitt, Finalize Special Teams Situation

After a wild couple of weeks, the Vikings have their kicker and punter.

All throughout the buildup to the 2019 NFL season, one of the biggest uncertainties surrounding the Vikings' roster was what – if anything – General Manager Rick Spielman would do to address the team's well-publicized struggles in the kicking game. On Sunday, the team made its latest and final moves towards that end, signing veteran punter Britton Colquitt and releasing Matt Wile, according to Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune.

Colquitt spent the past three seasons with the Browns, but was beaten out by rookie Jamie Gillan this preseason. He was set to head to Buffalo before being talked into reuniting with Gary Kubiak, the Vikings assistant coach who was Colquitt's head coach in 2015 with the Broncos. Wile was the Vikings' punter for all 16 games last season, posting a 41.5-yard net average that ranked 10th in the league. However, this move appears to be less about punting ability and more about finding an upgrade at holder.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer had been "outspoken about Wile needing to be a better holder," according to the Pioneer Press's Chris Tomasson. Colquitt, a nine-year NFL veteran, is reportedly much better in that area.

This is what you might really want to know about new #Vikings punter Britton Colquitt. A source said, "He's a great holder.''

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 1, 2019

The Vikings are hoping Colquitt's holding will help bring stability to their infamous kicking woes. The 2019 kicker job was won by veteran incumbent Dan Bailey after the final preseason game against the Bills. Bailey, despite struggling at times last season, showed enough this August to win the job over Kaare Vedvik, the intriguing addition from Baltimore who failed to live up to his hype.