The Baltimore Ravens are more than set when it comes to their special teams unit, but what should they do with talented specialist Kaare Vedvik?
A good (and underrated) problem to have in today’s NFL is having too many talented special teams players. The Baltimore Ravens have had this issue a few times. In 2012, it was replacing Pro Bowl kicker Billy Cundiff with the legendary Justin Tucker, and in 2016 Baltimore had Wil Lutz and traded him to the New Orleans Saints. Since then, Lutz has found a home in the Big Easy, hitting 87.0% on his field goals and 96.7% on his extra points. This off-season, the Ravens now have to find a place for specialist Kaare Vedvik.
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Vedvik spent the 2018 season on the NFI list after being assaulted in Baltimore prior to the season. Now fully recovered, Vedvik presents the team with a dilemma: What are they to do with Kaare Vedvik?
Cutting Vedvik makes the most logical sense on the surface. After all, the Ravens have a prolific kicker in the aforementioned Justin Tucker and a stud punter in Sam Koch, and it’s hard to justify using a roster spot on a backup kicker/punter. However, the NFL has a kicker problem in that too many teams have unreliable players to count on when the game is on the line. Ask the Chicago Bears how important it is to have a good kicker when it matters most…
It’s not just the Bears, as teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and many others, could use an upgrade at kicker. While Kaare Vedvik is far from elite in that department, he is still worth a roster spot for teams in need of help.
During his time at Marshall University, Vedvik made 41 of his 42 extra point attempts as well as 10 of 16 field goal tries. While his poultry 62.5% field goal completion leaves much to be desired, his 97.6% extra point completion percentage would’ve placed him as sixth best in the NFL in 2018. Funny enough, this would’ve placed Vedvik ahead of our own Justin Tucker by 0.3%.
If Kaare Vedvik’s kicking isn’t selling you, perhaps his punting will. Vedvik averaged a solid 41.8 yards per punt in college, including 44.0 YPP in 2017. There aren’t many players who possess skills to be at a minimum an average punter and/or kicker, but Vedvik has shown the ability to be just that, and maybe more.
Kaare Vedvik is a curious case study for the Baltimore Ravens, who don’t exactly have a spot for him on their roster, but also realize his value to other teams. The team most certainly doesn’t have a need for a new kicker, but perhaps getting a younger punter is an option if they elect to move on from Sam Koch. Koch has been solid throughout his career, however, so this is unlikely. Instead, the Ravens should hold on to Vedvik and lean on him heavily during the preseason to show him off and advertise him to other franchises.
As teams get ready for the 2019 season, they’ll look to solidify their special teams spots and pray they don’t have to fix them again. With Kaare Vedvik, the Baltimore Ravens have the missing puzzle piece for a team ready to compete. You may not know much about him now, but Kaare Vedvik will be the talk of the town throughout the preseason because of his versatility, skill, and value to other NFL teams.