Vikings leave no doubt that Jalen Reagor is their punt returner: ‘You’re the guy’

Matt Daniels was an assistant special-teams coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys when he fell for Jalen Reagor. He remembers scouting the former Texas Christian standout ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft and being drawn to his playmaking ability.

See, while many people had Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb and/or 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk as the most dynamic punt returner in that draft class, Daniels already had convinced himself that Reagor was the best of the bunch.

“I was salivating over this guy,” said Daniels, now the special-teams coordinator for the Vikings. “He was No. 1 in my book.”

So imagine the level of excitement Daniels felt last week when the Vikings acquired Reagor in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Not only was Daniels getting what he felt was a magic elixir to his problems at punt returner, he was getting a player he has wanted to work with for a long time.

“I wanted him, personally, when he was coming out of college,” Daniels said. “Now I get an opportunity to coach him. I couldn’t be more excited about it.”

Now, if there was any question as to whether Reagor was going to be the starting punt returner in Sunday’s season opener against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium, Daniels emphatically provided then answer during his weekly press conference.

“He immediately approached the meeting saying, ‘I want to be the guy,’ ” Daniels recalled with a smile. “I’m like, ‘You’re the guy.’ ”

Needless to say, confidence isn’t an issue for Reagor. As for what makes the 5-foot-11, 200-pound receiver such a dynamic punt returner, Daniels pointed out how Reagor’s blazing speed pairs perfectly with his physical frame.

“He’s got strong legs, big glutes, really nice calves,” Daniels said. “Just being able to see him in person, it’s like, ‘Man, this guy’s got some weight to him.’ He’s really hard to tackle. He has the ability to make guys miss. He’s elusive. And obviously he has the home-run speed to take it the distance. That’s what makes him so spooky.”

The biggest issue for Reagor to this point in his NFL career has been inconsistency. After returning a punt for a touchdown as a rookie, and emerging as a threat in the process, Reagor only averaged 7.3 yards per return last season. He also has struggled with muff punts here and there, with his most notable woes coming in a playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Not that Daniels seems too worried about that being a major issue. He noted how even future hall of fame punt returner Devin Hester muffed punts every now and then.

“We’ve been getting extra reps before practice and after practice working on catches and working on setting up the return,” Daniels said. “I like where he’s at right now. He’s a guy that’s going to be a problem when the ball is in his hands.”

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