The writing was on the wall this preseason that the Minnesota Vikings were likely parting ways with former first-round pick Laquon Treadwell.
After the Vikings’ second exhibition game against the Seattle Seahawks, head coach Mike Zimmer said the Vikings were trying to “showcase” Treadwell, who had been relegated to the third team for much of training camp after three disappointing years with the organization. Less than two weeks after Zimmer’s comments, the Vikings, unable to find a trade partner, released the former 23rd overall pick despite the remaining guaranteed money on his contract. They opted to retain just four receivers from their 90-man roster instead of keeping Treadwell.
Funny, though, how things can come full circle.
Minnesota acquired Josh Doctson, another 2016 first-round receiver, but he hurt his foot in practice within a week and landed on injured reserve. Then injury-prone receiver Chad Beebe damaged his ankle in Week 3, landing on IR alongside Doctson, leaving the Vikings with just three wide receivers and an obvious need.
Instead of selecting from a trio of rookie receivers on the practice squad that included Dillon Mitchell, Davion Davis and Alexander Hollins — all of whom had disappointing camps — the Vikings made a call to Treadwell, who was still living in the Twin Cities and keeping tabs on the Vikings.
“I jumped for joy a little bit, I ain’t going to lie,” Treadwell said Wednesday. “I was kind of super geeked up. It was probably about in the afternoon two days ago (Monday) and then me and my wife, we couldn’t sleep. And then got up, came in about 9 o’clock, met with Rick, got my equipment and I’m here now.”
To Treadwell’s credit, he’s remained more positive than most in his position. Zimmer said before Treadwell’s third season that it was essentially a make-or-break year for the once-highly-touted wideout, but Treadwell dropped key passes in a Week 2 tie at Green Bay that forced the Vikings to acquire Aldrick Robinson for more depth. His support from fans waned, as did his snap counts in 2018 until he was scratched in Week 16 at Detroit. Out of 108 qualified receivers, Treadwell finished 2018 ranked 104th in yards per route run, according to Pro Football Focus.
His three-year yardage total in Minnesota closed out at 517 yards with one touchdown despite logging over 1,100 snaps. Treadwell had hoped for one more season to prove himself in Minnesota, but the Vikings didn’t give him that chance, at least initially. After being cut, Treadwell worked out for the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions but left without a contract. That process, Treadwell said, was a wake-up call.
“Getting released, it kind of put a fresh perspective on, ‘OK, I can go see other teams, get my juices back going and go see if I can help another team win,'” Treadwell told reporters. “All that perspective I had going and visiting with those teams, and what I learned from just being in that process with other guys who just got released, and just talking through different things. It just put things in a different perspective for me.”
Treadwell said he spoke about the trials of being released with veteran Brandon Marshall, who was cut by three different teams in 2018. The 24-year-old Treadwell also spoke to Zimmer upon his release and received some instrumental advice from the head coach.
“I talked to him about really what he needs to do to prove that this is the thing that he really wants to do, how important this is to him,” Zimmer said. “I think it’s always been important to him, but I think maybe he might have went about it the wrong way. I just tried to give him some insight on what he has to do moving forward. I’m hopeful to see that.”
When asked Thursday what Treadwell should be focused on is his return, Zimmer pointed to confidence and attention to detail.
“When he comes around here, walk around with your head up, your chest out,” Zimmer said. “Don’t have your head down and your hoodie on and just pay attention and be at the right routes, right depths. Do the right things every single time.”
Because of Minnesota’s thin situation at backup receiver, Treadwell may be immediately activated in his first week back. Beyond Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, only rookie Bisi Johnson, who’s yet to make a catch in the NFL, stands between Treadwell and the third receiver position.
“I just think Laquon is a guy that comes in here and is a great teammate,” said offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski. “We know he’s going to work his tail off, so we’re excited to get him back out here and right away from day one throw him out there. He’s practicing as hard as he always does, so it’s really fun to see him back at it and nice to see him back out here in the field.”
Treadwell appeared to run out of opportunities in his first stint with Minnesota, but the Vikings’ willingness to give him another crack shows that a sliver of hope remains that he can find success in the team’s new offensive scheme.
Almost no amount of production could wipe out the tribulations of his first three years. But the Vikings can hold out hope that Treadwell does enough to fill a notable need at receiver, while Treadwell will aim to remain a season-long factor, even if Doctson and Beebe return.
