Free agent WR Dede Westbrook talks about the Vikings
Vikings wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell was once the wideouts coach for the Jaguars. That has given him some familiarity with former Jaguars WR and current free agent Dede Westbrook.
“I was kind of set on Seattle and McCardell was like ‘Darn you’re not even going to come out and give me a chance?” Westbrook told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “I coached you the past four years, you’re just going to fly out to Seattle and not give Minnesota a shot?'”
Westbrook could be a perfect fit for the Vikings, a team that desperately needs a third wideout. He’s boom or bust, but that’s fine as the third best wide receiver on the team. He’s also recovering from an ACL tear, but that may make him cheaper in the free agency market.
Not only has Westbrook proven to be an explosive wide receiver in the NFL, he has also been a serviceable punt returner.
“That’s been an asset of my game, going out there and potentially returning punts, putting the team in the best position to win each week,” Westbrook told Tomasson.
Westbrook said he “definitely” could help with kickoff returns, too. He will receive ample competition for those spots, with Kene Nwangwu, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Ameer Abdullah and others all being viable candidates.
It’s hard to see how Westbrook couldn’t make this team better. With the lack of positional strength past Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen on the wide receiver depth chart, he can help out there. He can maybe even be a much-needed special teams ace.
“I love everything about the Vikings,” Westbrook told Tomasson. “I like their offensive scheme, I like the things that they’re doing as far as gidget-gadgets that they have going on. …. Just their whole offensive scheme and I think I can fit in perfectly.”
