Should the Minnesota Vikings bench Laquon Treadwell?

After a rough performance in Green Bay, the Minnesota Vikings could bench Laquon Treadwell, but it might not be the right move to make.

It was December 30, 2007. The Minnesota Vikings were battling for their faint playoff chances as they took on the Denver Broncos.

Down 7-3 in the second quarter, Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson dropped back to throw and saw wide receiver Troy Williamson streaking down the middle of the field. With Williamson as wide open as the middle of Nebraska, Jackson chucked it deep for what should have been six points.

As the ball approached Williamson, he leapt up to bring the pass into his chest, but he was just a little late. The ball bounced off of his hands and fell to the turf as the Denver faithful went crazy in what would eventually be a 22-19 overtime defeat for the Vikings.

That play would be the official end to the receiver’s time with Minnesota.

Taken with the seventh overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft to effectively replace Randy Moss, Williamson always showed the ability to get open with his speed. But he never could take care of the important part of actually catching the football.

Nearly 10 years later, the Vikings are at a similar crossroads with another first-round pick.

Laquon Treadwell has failed to live up to expectations since being taken with the 23rd pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and has seen fellow Minnesota receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen ascend to superstar status during his two-plus seasons with the team.

In the Vikings’ tie with the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, Treadwell had a chance to turn a corner as he finally scored his first career touchdown.

However, the drops that have plagued the Ole Miss product in the past showed up as he killed two of Minnesota’s drives including a pass that eventually ended up in the hands of Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix late in regulation that almost sealed the game for Green Bay.

For some Vikings fans, Treadwell’s performance has been classified as his “Troy Williamson moment”. With several moves being made to upgrade the team this week, those fans were hoping that Treadwell would be shown the door, but were disappointed when the team opted to release Stacy Coley instead.

With Treadwell remaining on the roster, the new question becomes whether the Vikings should bench him. That answer is no.

It’s easy to let emotions get in the way (especially when said team is playing a rival like the Packers), but there were several positives that came out of the young receiver’s performance Sunday as well.

The biggest key is that Treadwell has been getting open as the third receiver on the field. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin recently noted this improvement on his touchdown in the first quarter against Green Bay.

On that play, Treadwell lines up as the only receiver on the right side of the offense. He makes a move to his right and then darts into the left to get past King.

Even though there is a safety over the top, Treadwell has himself in a position where all he has to do is turn and the ball is right there.

Granted this is just one play, but these are the plays in which the receiver is getting open and Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins is noticing. Even after the interception, Cousins still targeted Treadwell twice in overtime (neither were caught).

Minnesota Vikings

One other factor in the Vikings’ keeping Treadwell on the field is the team’s lack of receiving depth behind him. Benching Treadwell would be a fan favorite option, but there just isn’t anybody to take over that spot.

Brandon Zylstra isn’t Adam Thielen. New receiver Aldrick Robinson still needs to learn the playbook and has limited success in the NFL. Promoting Chad Beebe from the practice squad and throwing him into a regular season game would be a major risk.

Perhaps Coley would have been the option here (and he got his shot on a deep pass by Cousins that was intercepted before a roughing the passer penalty on Clay Matthews extended the drive), but his departure makes things even thinner behind Thielen and Diggs.

At this point, Treadwell’s first-round expectations need to be thrown out the window. Minnesota needs him to become a reliable third receiver and with his improvement in finding the open spaces, he just needs to catch the football.

If he can do that, he’ll at least be an upgrade over what the Vikings have behind him. If not, Minnesota will be walking on eggshells every week as they hope that Diggs and Thielen can avoid suffering any sort of injury.