The Minnesota Vikings have plenty to like after two straight wins, but one spot suddenly looks shaky heading into Week 3: punter.
Brett Thorson is dealing with a hamstring injury that “will be further examined,” Kevin O'Connell said Monday, and that leaves Minnesota waiting on MRI results before it knows whether the rookie will be available against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Athletic's Alec Lewis reported that Thorson finished Week 2 but “reported some soreness in his hamstring” after arriving at the team facilities on Monday.
It’s an issue worth watching closely. Thorson, who joined the Vikings as a 2026 undrafted free agent, has been productive early. The 2025 Ray Guy Award winner for best punter in college football owns the 21st-best punt grade among 32 qualified players on Pro Football Focus at 61.7, is tied for third in punts downed inside the 20 with five, and has a long of 62 yards, which ties him for ninth-longest this season.
If the injury keeps him out, Minnesota may have to circle back to a familiar name: Johnny Hekker.
That possibility would bring the Vikings right back to the same competition they were sorting through earlier this year. Before signing Thorson after the draft, Minnesota brought in Hekker on a one-year deal in March after Ryan Wright left for the Saints on a four-year, $14 million contract in free agency. The plan at the time was clear enough - Hekker would handle the job if he won it.
And on paper, the 36-year-old had the résumé to make that easy to believe. He’s a Super Bowl champion, a six-time All-Pro with four first-team selections, a two-time Pro Bowler, and a two-time leader in punting yards. But his most recent run didn’t exactly scream certainty, and his 2025 showing of 40.3 net yards per punt gave the Vikings a reason to keep looking.
Minnesota ultimately went with Thorson, choosing youth over the veteran track record. That decision looked sensible enough, but it also left Hekker unsigned and available if the Vikings need a quick answer now.
He also wasn’t a disaster this summer. Hekker posted a 72.5 PFF punt grade, averaged 48.2 yards on nine punts, and had an average hang time of 4.41 seconds. Thorson, though, had the edge in net average at 41.5 yards to Hekker’s 40.0, and opponents returned fewer of his kicks in a smaller sample: four of Thorson’s eight punts were returned, compared with six of Hekker’s nine.
So this is not a conversation about Thorson losing his job. It’s a question of availability, plain and simple. If the hamstring issue lingers, the Vikings could turn back to a punter they already know, and Hekker could use the opening to show he still has enough left to help somebody - maybe Minnesota, maybe another team later on.
For now, though, everything hinges on the MRI. If the news is mild, the Vikings move on with Thorson. If it isn’t, Hekker may not be done in purple after all.
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