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Washington Football Team: Five players to watch in Week 10 vs. Lions

By Jacob Camenker

Sep 27, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Football Team running back J.D. McKissic (41) runs the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 34-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 27, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Football Team running back J.D. McKissic (41) runs the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 34-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 18, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings punter Kaare Vedvik (7) punts during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 18, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings punter Kaare Vedvik (7) punts during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

3. K Kaare Vedvik

At this point, Dustin Hopkins is questionable to play for Washington. He is dealing with a groin injury and was limited in practice on Friday, his only session of the week.

In the event that Hopkins can’t play, Washington is going to have to roll with their backup kicker. They have stashed one on the practice squad all season thanks to the expanded 16-man unit, so Kaare Vedvik will be the man if Hopkins can’t go.

Vedvik has long been a fascination of NFL teams. It started when he played in the 2019 preseason with the Baltimore Ravens. He made four kicks in the team’s preseason opener, including a 55-yard try, and several NFL teams expressed interest in him. The Minnesota Vikings ended up trading for him, but he lost the kicking competition to Dan Bailey and was waived.

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From there, Vedvik landed with the Jets and began the season as their kicker. In his lone NFL game to date, he missed a 45-yard field goal and an extra point and the Jets waived him. Since then, Vedvik has spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, and Carolina Panthers and now, he’s with Washington.

Vedvik has a big leg and positional versatility — he has worked as both a kicker and a punter at times during his in the NFL — so he is an intriguing prospect to have around. If he gets a chance to kick for Washington, the team can evaluate whether or not he may be an effective option to take over the job should they want to replace Hopkins.

Given that Hopkins is having the worst season of his career to date — he has made a career-low 71.4 percent of his field goal including a career-high three misses from the 40-49-yard range — Vedvik’s performance will be watched closely if Hopkins does, in fact, sit out. For that reason, Vedvik is one of the top players to watch and if he gets a chance to show off his big leg, he could capitalize.

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