The Minnesota Vikings have taken immediate steps to address the kicking issues that plagued them in Sunday’s tie versus the Green Bay Packers.
Rookie kicker Daniel Carlson, who missed three field goals Sunday — two in overtime — has been waived, according to NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero. Ian Rapoport reported that the Vikings will sign 30-year-old Dan Bailey as their replacement.
Minnesota traded up in the fifth round of April’s draft to select Carlson, who attended Auburn. His big leg earned him the starting job in training camp over veteran Kai Forbath, but after two preseason misses and now three pivotal misses in a divisional regular season game, the Vikings appear to be cutting ties.
Minnesota set up Carlson for a 35-yard try between the hash marks Sunday to give him a shot a redemption on the final play of overtime, but he pushed the kick wide right. He had missed from 48 and 49 yards earlier.
“Guys are supposed to do their jobs,” head coach Mike Zimmer said after Sunday’s game. “Maybe we should’ve thrown a ball in the end zone a couple of times at the end, but I believed that the guy was going to make the kick.”
Bailey lost his starting job in Dallas to Brett Maher this preseason. He is coming off a season in which he made 15 of 20 field goals and 26 of 28 extra-point attempts, the most combined misses of his career.
Since debuting in 2011, Bailey is 88.2 percent on field goals, and 67.5 percent from 50 yards and beyond.
The Vikings will also bring in receiver Aldrick Robinson, according to NFL Network, after Laquon Treadwell dropped three passes versus the Packers.
Robinson, 29, has played for the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons and, most recently, the San Francisco 49ers. He was cut after the fourth preseason game less than three weeks ago.
The speedy SMU grad has never been more than a complementary piece in his career, maxing out at 20 catches in 2016 and 365 yards in 2013.
There has yet to be any report of a corresponding roster move to accommodate Robinson’s spot on the roster.
Robinson and Kirk Cousins were teammates in Washington.
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