Another Vikings Rookie Hits Injured Reserve

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First, it was Lewis Cine. The Minnesota Vikings rookie safety broke his leg in London against the New Orleans Saints and will miss the rest of the 2022 season.

Now, it’s running back Ty Chandler, who broke his thumb versus the Chicago Bears in Week 5. Chandler will miss multiple weeks, hitting injured reserve on Tuesday.

Chandler played 28 snaps in two games, all on special teams. And in his second career game, the North Carolina alumnus broke his thumb, and that’ll be all she wrote for at least a month.

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The rookie, up until now, filled out a robust Vikings RB room consisting of Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Kene Nwangwu, and fullback C.J. Ham. Various NFL teams would utilize a tailback drafted in the 5th Round right away, but Minnesota has the luxury to relax with Chandler, who is an “old” rookie at age 24 in the first place.

In that regard, losing Chandler indefinitely isn’t too damning for the 4-1 Vikings. However, Chandler did perform wonderfully in the preseason, considered by some a total gem who could even play RB1 for Minnesota in a pinch. The Vikings invest heavily at running back — mainly Dalvin Cook’s large contract — so general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah opted for an embarrassment of riches at RB.

Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

Still, Chandler’s injury is unfortunate, as the Vikings just lost the aforementioned Cine for the rest of the year. Cine’s leg injury was grim, reportedly needing multiple surgeries for repair. He’ll be back on the Vikings depth chart in September 2023 — at the earliest.

Rookie corner Andrew Booth is also working his way back onto the field, recovering from a quad injury suffered in Week 1. Booth has played two snaps (special teams like Chandler) as a rookie.

After that, fellow cornerback Akayleb Evans reportedly suffered a concussion against the Bears. Before the Bears game, rookie wideout Jalen Nailor was ruled out because of a bad hamstring. Injuries have stricken fifty percent of the 2022 draft class through October 11th.

So, in Week 6, the Cine-less, Chandler-less, perhaps Evans-less, perhaps Booth-less, and maybe Nailor-less Vikings will travel to Miami for a date with the 3-2 Dolphins.


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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

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