Questions Answered: Next Man Up on DL, George Paton Cans HC, Ty Chandler
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the December 26th 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.
Questions Answered: Next Man Up on DL, George Paton Cans HC, Ty Chandler
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1213347″ player=”26281″ title=”NFL%20QB%20Rankings%20Top%2020%20″ duration=”85″ description=”Who is the best quarterback in the NFL? Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen are widely viewed as two of the best players in football. While they set an elite standard for quarterback play, our 2022 NFL QB rankings capture how the top 20 quarterbacks perform every week. Updated weekly throughout the season, here are our top-20 NFL QB rankings, with Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray, and Russell Wilson disappearing from the list as of late.” uploaddate=”2022-12-26″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/1213299_sd_1672082982.jpg” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/1213299/1213299.m3u8″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
Q: With James Lynch and Jonathan Bullard out, who’s the next man up on the Vikings defensive line for playing time?
A: The men filling in for Lynch and Bullard should be a mix between Khyiris Tonga and rookie Esezi Otomewo.
Both men have received more playing time in recent weeks, and Tonga especially has been a marvelous addition this season. If Tonga gets most of the action, Minnesota will have a rather beefy defensive line with Harrison Phillips, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Tonga.
Otomewo has been intermixed gradually in the last few weeks, allotting some vital action for the rookie. And now the stars align for Tonga and Otomewo without Lynch and Bullard. The Vikings are in good hands.
Q: After George Paton fired Nathaniel Hackett, who do you expect to take over the Broncos big job in January?
A: This is a total guess — but we’ll go with Dan Quinn from Dallas.
He was in the mix last year for the same job, but Denver decided to onboard Nathaniel Hackett, setting the franchise back at least one year. Quinn would fit nicely in Denver.
The extensive conversation for the next few weeks will be about Sean Payton. But we believe Payton will end up with the Arizona Cardinals — again, just speculation.
Quinn to Broncos is our guess.
Q: Do you think the Vikings will activate Ty Chandler before his “injured reserve” deadline?
A: This one is tricky and could go either way.
We’ll surmise that he is indeed added to the roster. It’s just a mystery who gets released to make room for Chandler. If the Vikings do not activate Chander, he’d revert to injured reserve for the rest of the season, presumably setting sights on the summer for a return.
He played wonderfully in the preseason, so it’ll be fascinating to see if Chandler becomes an RB1 or RB2 in 2023.
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 Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).