Many fans were surprised and excited when the Minnesota Vikings released Ihmir Smith-Marsette and traded for Jalen Reagor. However, that excitement has since dulled a bit because the Vikings have used Reagor sparingly in the offense. Reagor has been electric when he touches the ball. More often than not, he’s provided an essential spark or a big play. So why doesn’t he have more involvement in a Vikings offense that allows playmakers to make big plays?
Reagor has only eight touches on offense through 12 games this season. A quarter of those may have been forced touches against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, a revenge game for him. On the one hand, the Vikings evidently aren’t convinced he’s ready to take on a more significant role. On the other hand, he’s averaging 14 yards per touch when he gets involved. Granted, many of those touches are gadget plays that could be inflating his average. But why not give him five touches a game and unleash some more of that playmaking ability?
The answer may lie in some of head coach Kevin O’Connell‘s comments. Reporters recently asked him about Reagor’s fit in the offense, and he said, “I’m proud of where Jalen is at. We’ve tried to start infusing him more and more into the offense. Every week we are allowing him to grow, understanding that he didn’t have the teaching progression that many of our players had within the confines of our whole offense.”
It really sounds like Reagor hasn’t picked up the offense as quickly as they’d hoped. O’Connell admits Reagor didn’t have training camp and other teachable opportunities like most of the team had. Therefore, he has a little more leeway. But you’d hope that by Week 13, he would be getting more than two offensive snaps each week. Maybe Reagor needs to take a page out of the “T.J. Hockenson Learn An Offense In Three Days” handbook.
While it may be true that Reagor didn’t have the same timeline to learn the new offense as other players, you would think he would be prepared enough for several specific plays each game. Who cares if he doesn’t know every single blocking assignment for every call in the playbook? Get this man out there on some jet sweeps and go routes. His 4.4 speed could take the top off a defense in ways that Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn can’t. That speed around the edge would be more interesting to watch than the straight-up-the-middle, two-yard gain the Vikings seem to favor with Dalvin Cook. It’s difficult to see how five Reagor touches a game wouldn’t make this offense even more potent.
Thielen and Osborn have a firm grasp on the second and third wide receiver spots, and most fans aren’t expecting Reagor to steal many of those reps. But a few designed passing plays and a couple of runs each game would be a perfect fit for his speed and explosiveness. You have to think the Vikings’ coaching staff has seen his success when he’s gotten the ball. Therefore, his incomplete understanding of the offense may be holding him back.
You could understand why, with all the tight games the Vikings frequently play, O’Connell might not want a player on the field who doesn’t fully grasp the offense. Reagor may get more opportunities late in the season, though. O’Connell also mentioned that he expects Reagor to be a factor in December and beyond. After complimenting Reagor on his explosiveness and work ethic, he said, “We’ll continue to find ways to get him on the field. I think he’s earned that opportunity.”
Regardless of his understanding of the offense — or lack thereof — Reagor should be getting several designed plays a game. Last week against the New York Jets, he caught a 38-yard deep pass where it was clear he was the primary read. Hopefully, that will start to become the norm. He also added an eight-yard rush on top of that. Two touches and 46 yards, the definition of a playmaker. Five of his six catches on the year have gone either for a first down or a touchdown. It’s clear he has the ability and physical tools. Reagor just needs to prove to the coaching staff that he can be a reliable player on offense, as he has already shown in the punt return game.
Despite being buried on the depth chart beyond a great wide receiving corps and getting a late start on learning the playbook, there’s no reason Reagor shouldn’t have several designed plays for him each week. His lack of usage has gone on long enough. It’s time the Vikings unleash the secret weapon against the Detroit Lions this Sunday.
