So … Where Is Ty Chandler?
The Minnesota Vikings came into the season with two main running backs. Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones were expected to lead the backfield. Ty Chandler looked like a potential roster casualty, but a late injury to Zavier Scott earned him a last chance.
The Minnesota Vikings haven’t seen Ty Chandler since Week 1, and it doesn’t appear as though he is anywhere near their plans moving forward.
After the first week of the season, Chandler found himself on injured reserve. It was a weird situation as he returned the final kickoff of the game against the Chicago Bears, and seemingly left the contest feeling fine. Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced Chandler would go on injured reserve, and we really haven’t heard from him since.
Have You Seen This Man — Ty Chandler?
This week, following the bye, multiple players are returning to action. Chandler was eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 5. He has yet to hit the practice field, though, and there have been no updates to his knee injury since he landed on injured reserve.
Minnesota will roll with Jordan Mason, Cam Akers, and Zavier Scott again this week. Akers was signed after Aaron Jones’ injury, and he has obviously developed a strong rapport with the organization over the past three seasons. Now that Jones is eligible to return in Week 8, it might be the last we see of Chandler.
There have been some rough moments for Mason in recent weeks. Fumbles aren’t ever going to be ideal, but he has hardly ceded opportunity to either Scott or Akers. Both represent solid depth pieces, and despite his youth, Scott has flashed impressively when given an opportunity.
Assuming Jones returns in a full capacity next week, ahead of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers, he’ll immediately take a top role next to Mason. That tandem will lead the backfield as intended, and both Scott and Akers can spell them if either needs a breather. That really doesn’t leave a role for Chandler.
Against the Chicago Bears, Chandler found himself returning kicks. He made an impact on special teams, but has long since become an afterthought on offense. There’s little reason to believe that will change anytime soon, and given the lack of updates on his injury status, he may not be close to pushing for a return to the field anyway.
There was a time when Chandler looked like an exciting change of pace back. That has come and gone, and now he’s closer than ever to looking for a new team.
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