It was a bit shocking when the Vikings moved on from kick return specialist Kene Nwangwu. Minnesota made the move back in late August and when it did so, the Vikings had just Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler on the roster at running back.
A fourth-round pick by the Rick Spielman regime in 2021, Nwangwu came to the Vikings as a developmental RB who hadn’t played much at Iowa State. Where he provided plenty of value was on special teams. Nwangwu returned two kickoffs for touchdowns as a rookie and added another in 2022. Last season, though, he handled a career-low 15 returns in nine games.
But Nwangwu found his way back on an NFL roster. On Sunday, he returned a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s the first time Nwangwu has been elevated to the Jets’ active roster, and he has an opportunity to make his 2024 regular-season debut against the Seahawks on Sunday. Nwangwu played in nine regular-season games for the Vikings in 2023 and logged five carries for 13 yards.
Kene Nwangwu returns the kickoff 99 yards for a Jets touchdown!
📺: #SEAvsNYJ on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ow79ghEH2E— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
