Injured Vikings Defender Makes His Return
The Minnesota Vikings have avoided any nasty injuries so far (knock on wood). Justin Jefferson suffered a minor hamstring strain last week and will be held out for a while, but his Week 1 status is not in jeopardy if anyone involved has told the truth. Of the two guys on the PUP list, one has returned.
Injured Vikings Defender Makes His Return
Gavin Bartholomew and Chaz Chambliss had to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list to start training camp. The late-round tight end is still on there, but the rookie pass rusher is back in the mix after a one-week absence.
Mr. Chambliss, the man with the sweet name, appeared in practice, the Vikings announced Monday with a simple social media note: “OLB Chaz Chambliss has been activated from active/PUP and will return to practice today.”
It was a foot injury for Chambliss. Those training camp injuries are always tricky, especially for depth players that don’t require an entire presser like Jefferson’s issue did. Sometimes, those players are out for weeks or months, and nobody knows why or for how long.
Well, Chambliss’ absence was no biggie. Coming out of Georgia, he went undrafted in April. The undersized edge defender hopes to make some noise and steal one of the few linebacker spots, challenging last year’s UDFAs Gabriel Murphy and Bo Richter as well as this year’s classmate, Tyler Batty. Appearing on the field in practice is crucial for that plan.
The defender actually led the star-studded defense of the Bulldogs in sacks last season, despite them employing eventual first-rounders Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams. Even Vikings’ fifth-rounder Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins flew under the radar there, but Chambliss made his presence felt with 6.5 sacks in his final season on campus.
Chambliss was a four-year player at Georgia, appearing in 54 games. He tabulated 86 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 9 sacks throughout his career.
NFL scout Lance Zierlein wrote about the defender he graded as a late-round pick: “Two-year starter who has played with and against some of the best competition. Chambliss is an undersized 3-4 outside linebacker and he’s very strong for his size.”
His size could be an issue, as he is listed at 6’1″ and 241 lbs on Minnesota’s roster, which is on the smaller side for an edge rusher at the pro level. The good news is that defensive coordinator Brian Flores has shown that he doesn’t care about that. The aforementioned Murphy has short arms, and Ivan Pace Jr. was not drafted but has starred in his defense, despite not even standing six feet.
Zierlein added, “He plays the game with a relentless forward charge but will run into some road blocks due to his lack of size and length. He flashes rush moves on occasion but he isn’t much of an edge-turner and is more likely to pressure the pocket with secondary effort. Chambliss has the mental and physical makeup to stick around as a solid backup and plus special-teams performer.”
That’s the type of player that always has a chance. Playing hard on every down gives you a chance, regardless of physical limitations. Whether that will be enough for a roster spot remains to be seen. Showing some promise on special teams would be a major asset for him.
At this point, Chambliss should be considered a long shot, but he surely will get some playing time in the preseason, and a couple of decent games could help him beat some or all of the other three undrafted defenders.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.