EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings placed two-thirds of their place-kicking unit on Injured Reserve, and have reportedly signed two replacements.
The team announced on Tuesday that rookie kicker Will Reichard (quad) and All-Pro long snapper Andrew DePaola (hand) were placed on IR, meaning they will both miss at least the next four games.
NFL Insiders Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday afternoon that the Vikings (6-2) signed kicker John Parker Romo and veteran long snapper Jake McQuaide to fill the voids until the two are healthy enough to return. The team announced the signings on Wednesday.
Reichard, a sixth-round pick of out Alabama, missed two field goals on Sunday — his first misses of the season — but finished out the game kicking the team's three extra points in the second half of their 21-13 victory.
"He missed the first two field goals and it wasn't until the first PAT — after the first PAT he came to me and said that he felt his quad tighten up," said Vikings special teams coach Mike Daniels. " ... That's when we kind of got alerted to it, and he kind of started limping a little bit and said he that he needed to put a sleeve on it."
Prior to Sunday, Reichard had hit on all 14 of his field-goal attempts, including a 58-yarder against the Houston Texans. Romo now rejoins the Vikings after spending some during the offseason with the team prior to being released in late July. In 2023, he played in the XFL with the San Antonio Brahmas where he connected on 17 of 19 field-goal attempts.
McQuaide, a 13-year veteran, joins the team after spending time with the Rams, Cowboys, Lions and Bears. He was a Pro Bowler in 2016 and 2017 with the Rams, and most recently spent time on the Bears' practice squad.
