Which Ryan Wright Will the Vikings Get?
When Ryan Wright took over as the Minnesota Vikings’ three years ago, he made an immediate impression. The Tulane product claimed the job as a rookie, and he performed admirably. Unfortunately, that seems something like a mirage at this point.
The Minnesota Vikings landed on Ryan Wright as their punter, and they may have sent Oscar Chapman packing too soon.
During his first season as the Minnesota Vikings punter, Wright landed 43.8% of his kicks inside the 20, and he had a miniscule 1.4% touchback rate. In year two, he dropped balls inside the 20 just 28.8% of the time and had 11.9% of his kicks go for touchbacks. There was a slight bounceback last season 48.2%/.8.9%, but he remained questionable enough for Minnesota to consider a change.
Like they did last summer, the Vikings brought in competition for training camp. Wright bested Seth Vernon in 2024, and he has now sent Oscar Chapman packing this year. That’s reflective of the Minnesota Vikings’ level of confidence in their incumbent starter. It might be hard to understand, though.
Ryan Wright Won the Punter Job for Vikings … So What’s Next?
Chapman had plenty to prove as a fresh-faced rookie. Beyond just booting the ball deep, he would need to gain the trust of kicker Will Reichard as his holder. One snap proved to be costly on Friday against the Tennessee Titans. That likely cost him the job.
Still, though, holding is something that Chapman should theoretically be able to improve upon as the season develops. The longer he works with the special teams unit, and specifically Reichard himself, the more comfort and trust are created between the tandem.
Holding is a secondary function of the punter, but it might be the most important. Still, Chapman showed well on the punting front. He has an interesting style that forces returners to be locked in when receiving the ball out of the sky. He also has a huge leg and booted a 74-yard punt while in college with the Auburn Tigers.
It’s hard to present much hand-wringing over a punting competition, but this one could turn out to be a poor move. The Vikings have cut ties too quickly in the kicking game previously. This time around, it may be the punter that should have been looked at just a little bit longer.
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