People will forget Jordan Addison’s catch that wasn’t by October when the Minnesota Vikings visit Adam Thielen in Carolina or welcome Patrick Mahomes to Minneapolis in Week 5. And it happened in a preseason game, so does any catch under those circumstances ever really count? Still, it’s what we have to go off of in live-game action, and it was impressive.
It happened so fast that Kevin O’Connell didn’t catch it in real-time. “Would’ve loved to get him credit for that,” he said. “But I can promise you I showed that play in the team meeting this morning and made sure to highlight it in slow motion, so I could fully grasp what happened in the moment.”
In slow motion, it’s clear Addison made the catch. Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips offered, unsolicited, that he could have helped them get the call overturned. “It’s on us to get those things right up in the box,” Phillips, who sits above the field during games, said. “[Head coaches] get all the questions about it, but we’re the ones up there with the TVs and the hawk-eye view.”
Ultimately, as long as they get calls overturned in the regular season, all is forgiven. The core takeaway here is that Addison made the grab. He has enough body control to do that, and he created enough separation to get backup Nick Mullens to throw him the ball. “That body control that he makes catches with, those are the subtle nuances that I see when he is running routes,” says O’Connell. “When he’s not taking reps, he watches JJ and KJ and some of our other guys and [starting to understand] what tools he can add.”
Phillips coached tight ends in Washington from 2014 to 2018, and he says Addison’s hands are similar to superstar tight end Jordan Reed’s. “When they’re just playing catch and not even thinking it, and they catch the ball like this naturally,” Phillips said, extending his hands away from his body. “Whereas you see some guys catching it more towards their body,” he added, pantomiming a catch near his chest. “[Addison has] a natural way of reaching out and catching the ball away from his frame.”
Injuries cut Reed’s career short, but he averaged 56.8 receptions and 574.4 yards (10.1 yards per reception) when Phillips was his coach. Kirk Cousins became Washington’s full-time starter in 2015 and played with Reed until he signed with the Vikings in 2018. Reed averaged 60 receptions and 616.3 yards (10.3 yards per reception) with Cousins as his quarterback. Does this mean the flashy Addison will immediately become one of Cousins’ favorite targets? Not necessarily. But it has to help.
“Jordan’s gonna have a big impact on our team this year,” said O’Connell. “We don’t want to, by any stretch, put pressure on him before he’s ready to do certain things. But he’s proving time and time again when we give him opportunities, he’s not only making plays, but he’s consistently demonstrating that he can do his job and then some.”
The Vikings call Addison’s route-running a “blue skill,” meaning it’s better than most of his peers’. There’s no guarantee that a wide receiver’s ability will cross over from college to the NFL. Look no further than Laquon Treadwell or Troy Williamson for evidence of that. But Addison already looks the part.
“He does have great body control,” said Phillips, adding that he’s come as advertised as a route-runner. “He’s just got kind of a knack. He knows how to work edges on guys, how to separate. His body control in transition is really impressive. And then the way he moves towards the ball.”
Fortunately for Addison, Cousins trusts young players. He immediately connected with Justin Jefferson during Jefferson’s rookie year. He developed chemistry with K.J. Osborn when his fellow Michigander made drastic improvements in his second season. Cousins targeted Jalen Reagor, who Philadelphia Eagles fans considered a first-round bust, until Reagor made two crucial mistakes against the Indianapolis Colts. So long as Addison creates separation, he will see the ball.
“As far as how rare is it for a guy to have that body control? The talent is there and was there in college,” said Phillips. “It’s like JJ coming in and doing what he’s done. That body control was already there. It’s just giving him some opportunities and learning within our system, and kinda how [wide receiver coach] Keenan [McCardell] has coached him and gotten him up to speed.”
Addison is our first look at O’Connell, the talent evaluator. They could have taken Deonte Banks to address their cornerback depth or Mazi Smith to bolster their defensive line. Instead, he gambled on a first-round receiver, hoping to take pressure off Jefferson. Now, he can’t get enough of Addison. O’Connell said he was glad he predetermined how long he’d play Addison. Otherwise, he’d have played him all game. Fortunately, he played Addison long enough for him to make a spectacular catch, even if he couldn’t process what he’d seen until it was too late.
