Minnesota Vikings Cut Kicker Blair Walsh; See What Kicker They Signed

To no one’s surprise, the Minnesota Vikings have officially released field goal kicker Blair Walsh according to ESPN.

It’s been a downward spiral for the 26-year-old kicker ever since he missed a “chip shot” 27-yard field goal in the NFC playoffs last year against the Seattle Seahawks. The kick sent the Vikings home and the Seahawks on to the next round.

This season hasn’t been kind to Walsh. Walsh is 12 for 16 when it comes to field goals with three of those misses coming under 50 yards. To make matters worse, Walsh is also missing extra points at an extremely alarming rate. Yes, the extra point has been moved back, but Walsh is just 15 for 19, an abysmal 78 percent, when it comes to extra points this season.

Field goal kicking is extremely critical for the Vikings because their offense is not elite. The Vikings don’t have Teddy Bridgewater or Adrian Peterson, and they recently part ways with Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner. The Vikings offense ranks dead last in yards gained, dead last in rushing yards and just 19^th in passing yards.

The Vikings have lost four consecutive games after starting off 5-0.

On Monday Head coach Mike Zimmer said "We're going to see what all the options are. We're going to see what the options are at tackle. We're going to see what the options are at kicker, and then make a determination and go." Apparently the Vikings have made their mind up in regards to Walsh.

The Vikings signed 29-year-old free agent kicker Kai Forbath on Tuesday. Forbath was previously a member of the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints. Last season he made just 10 of his 15 field goal attempts.