Very Quietly, The Vikings Deliver Some Bad News to a Specific Player
Yes, there is some danger in overreacting to a depth chart that is defined as being “unofficial.”
Even still, one wonders about the Vikings delivering some news within that initial roster hierarchy that makes Ty Chandler’s job security a touch more precarious. The depth runner has basically done it all from a roster positioning standpoint — being buried, promoted, and demoted — but he now appears to be facing an uphill battle to make the team.
The Vikings Deliver Some Bad News to Ty Chandler
Expectations weren’t too high, at least initially.
Mr. Chandler arrived within the ten-person draft class from the 2022 season. He did so courtesy of the No. 169 selection, which arrives in the 5th. The top picks — Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth, and Ed Ingram — have understandably soaked up most of the criticism.
Slowly, expectations have changed for Chandler since he has proven to be someone who possesses talent. More specifically, the runner has one coveted trait: insane speed.
Currently, his main competition for be the Vikings’ RB3 is Zavier Scott, someone who offers excellent size and some abilities as a receiver.
Assume, for the sake of argument, that Ty Chandler gets squeezed out of the offense. Aaron Jones is holding down the RB1 job while Jordan Mason is holding down the RB2 job. Combined, they’re an excellent pair. When there needs to be a different runner, Scott offers an intriguing combination of abilities for Kevin O’Connell to work with on Sundays.
Where does that leave Chandler? Special teams. But that’s where the bad news arrives.
Already, rookie receiver Tai Felton is being slotted into the starting spot as a kickoff returner. At training camp, I watched him bring kickoffs back; the rookie receiver is very explosive, gobbling up green grass with ease. He, like Chandler, can run incredibly fast. In fact, Felton came in at just a touch faster than Chandler. Chandler was clocked at a 4.38 forty; Felton was clocked at a 4.37 forty.
Does 0.01 of a second really make that much of a difference? No, not really, but the other factors certainly do.
Consider that Felton is 22 while Chandler is 27. Felton is going into the first year of his rookie contract (meaning four years of team control) while Chandler is going into the final year of his rookie contract (meaning one year of team control). Notable, as well, that Felton has the potential to contribute on offense whereas Chandler is coming off of seasons where he has been demoted a pair of times (in fairness, a promotion did arrive for him in 2023).
The cherry on top for Mr. Felton is that he comes in just a hair cheaper. The difference — roughly $54K — is basically inconsequential in the world of NFL finances. The detail to remember is that cutting Chandler (a real possibility) would mean recouping $1.1 million in cap space while cutting Felton (not a going to happen) would mean gaining $840K in open room.
Basically, we’re left with these various clues and all of them point in a certain direction.
To be sure, Ty Chandler is going to have a say in the matter. He has survived roster cuts before and he does have talent.
He’ll need to show an ability to hit home runs with his speed while also proving capable of doing the little things well: pass block, gain the tough yards, demonstrate good vision by choosing the correct running lane, tackle on specials, and, indeed, be a threat as a returner. Combine improvement in all of these areas and Mr. Chandler has a shot.
The Vikings’ debut preseason game takes place tomorrow against the Texans.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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