Questions Answered: Biggest Preseason Takeaway, Ed Ingram, Chandler’s Big Day
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the August 14th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
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Q: After losing to the Raiders, what is your biggest takeaway from the first game?
A: Kellen Mond outplaying Sean Mannion is, by far, our biggest takeaway.
Of course, a QB2 probably won’t play much in 2022 — the Vikings employ Kirk Cousins, who is rarely injured — but Mond needs to win the backup job to prove he’s a viable quarterback-of-the-future candidate. Why? Well, [plug your ears] there is a chance that Minnesota finishes around 8-9 again, and Cousins likely wouldn’t be a part of long-term planning if so.
The Vikings absolutely must know if Mond is an alternative — or if they should draft the next guy in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Mond performing better than Mannion comes close to assuring the 23-year-old won’t be buried on the depth chart again, like in the 2021 season.
Q: Is Ed Ingram on a fast track to starting at RG after Sunday?
A: Ingram played quite well when on the field, a perfect starting point for the LSU alumnus to seize the RG job.
It is unclear if it will happen as soon as Week 1, but he certainly didn’t struggle against the Raiders. He even looked better than his primary competition, Jesse Davis.
Still, this was only one preseason game, and Ingram must continue the progress. Before too long, though, he seems like a bonafide RG1 candidate — which is why the Vikings drafted him in Round 2 this spring.
Q: Is Ty Chandler a lock to make the Vikings 53-man roster?
A: He better be.
Chandler was phenomenal, slicing and dicing the Raiders defense for 10 yards per carry on Sunday. He also orchestrated a fabulous kick return, broadcast to the masses by NFL.com.
Minnesota has an odd task afoot — either keeping five RBs and FBs or cutting Alexander Mattison. It’s quite the dilemma.
After seeing Chandler’s production on Sunday, the team cannot release him at the end of the month when the roster trims to 53 men. He’s too good.
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).
