The Vikings appear to have settled their punting competition. The team announced a pair of moves on Monday which includes the release of veteran Jordan Berry. 
The 31-year-old Australian went undrafted in 2014, but it wasn’t until the following season that he made his debut with the Steelers. He played in Pittsburgh for six seasons straight, with the exception of a brief stretch to begin the 2020 campaign. Overall, he averaged 44.4 yards per punt during his time there.
Last offseason, though, the Steelers permanently parted ways with Berry, turning instead to Pressley Harvin III. The led him to the Vikings, where he set a new career-high in gross average at 46.5 yards per punt. In spite of that, Minnesota will now turn to undrafted rookie Ryan Wright as their punter and holder. The Tulane alum punted 51 times last season, and set a new personal mark at an average of 47.5 yards.
As Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press notes (on Twitter), the fact that Wright carries a slightly lower cap hit ($707K compared to Berry’s $895K) and that he is nine years younger likely pointed the Vikings in the former’s direction. Wright will continue the recent tradition of introducing new punters on a near-annual basis in Minnesota, while Berry will once again look to find a new spot just before the start of the campaign.
With the roster spot opened up by Berry’s release, the Vikings brought back corner Tye Smith. The 29-year-old made five appearances with Minnesota last season, spending the rest of the campaign on the practice squad. He was among the team’s first round of roster cuts, but will now return for at least the immediate future.
We got him
There were many times last year where I thought the Steelers released the wrong guy
Bills need a punter! Get Berry!