The Vikings Competition Nobody Is Talking About
The special teams could look different in the upcoming season, as the Vikings have to find a successor for the unsigned punt returner Brandon Powell. Ty Chandler, the kick returner in 2024, must defend his spot in training camp as well. Additionally, the club hired some potentially key special-teams players, Tim Jones, Tavierre Thomas, and Eric Wilson.
The Vikings Competition Nobody Is Talking About
Two specialists are set in stone with Will Reichard, who was a rarely drafted kicker a year ago, and long snapper and annual All-Pro candidate Andrew DePaola.
The third, however, could be up for grabs. Set to become a restricted free agent ahead of his fourth NFL season, incumbent punter Ryan Wright was signed to a cheap one-year deal worth up to $2 million. Of that money, only $650,000 is guaranteed and would hit the books if the Vikings decided to move on.
They have the chance to do that since signing Auburn’s punter, Oscar Chapman, as an undrafted rookie. A year ago, the franchise brought in Seth Vernon to challenge Wright, but the competition was over much earlier than expected.
Chapman signed a three-year contract worth nearly $3 million. Only $72,500 of that is guaranteed. Financially, keeping Wright is the smarter move, but his dead cap hit wouldn’t be too significant and is acceptable if Chapman is the superior player.
Wright, out of Tulane, has appeared in 51 games with the Vikings, punting 188 times for 8,947 yards, resulting in an average of 47.6 yards per punt. He has a strong leg, but the ball placement and the touch have drawn some criticism over the years.
After a strong rookie season, his numbers declined in virtually every category; the number of touchbacks was concerning. Last year, he rebounded following a subpar 2023 season.
In yards per punt and net yards per punt, Wright ranked 24th in 2024. His touchback percentage was the 14th-highest in the NFL, but he ranked eighth in the league in punts inside the 20. He is listed as the 17th of 34 punters by the PFF grading system. His hangtime also ranks him 17th.
When Chapman signed with the Vikings back in April, Austin Walls of the Auburn version of Si.com wrote: “Chapman spent his entire collegiate career on the Plains. His career lasted five years and was quite fruitful from the perspective of a punter. The Aussie punter was able to use his COVID year granted to him from his first season with the Tigers and have a fifth season.”
Chapman is Australian, and due to the International Pathway Program, the Vikings were granted a roster exemption for him, allowing them to carry 91 players instead of the usual 90 into the summer.
“During his five-year career with the Tigers, Chapman played in 59 games,” Walls added. “He punted 243 times over those years, accumulating 10,573 punting yards. That is an average of 43.5 yards per punt. His farthest punt was a 61-yard punt in his junior season.”
Australian punters have had considerable success recently, including Seahawks ace Michael Dickson and 49ers’ punter Mitch Wishnowsky. Last year, the Bears used a fourth-rounder to acquire Iowa’s Tory Taylor in the draft.
It remains to be seen whether Chapman stands a chance against the fourth-year punter Wright. If he can display accuracy combined with leg strength and showcase the ability to hold for kicker Reichard, he surely has a chance to unseat Wright.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.