Vikings Coach Claims the Underdog Has a Shot
Most roster battles have long been decided for the Minnesota Vikings, besides a handful of depth positions. Of course, some trade acquisitions or free agent signings could change the picture. However, one competition is still very much alive.
Vikings Coach Claims the Underdog Has a Shot
On Wednesday, special teams coach Matt Daniels was asked about the punter competition between Ryan Wright and Oscar Chapman, and for the first time since 2022, that is actually a very real battle.
Asked whether it could go either way, Daniels responded, “Yeah, definitely. I think, right now, it is a neck-and-neck situation, especially with Will [Reichard] being confident in the operation with [Oscar Chapman] being the holder. That’s always going to be a big, big target there. We’ll see how these things are capping off towards this last preseason game.”
Wright has already formed chemistry with kicker Will Reichard and long snapper Andrew DePaola. A punter’s job is not only to boot the ball away about four times a game, but he’s also asked to hold the ball on the kicking operation. In the second preseason game, the Vikings worked Chapman in on three of Reichard’s kicks, and the sophomore drilled all of them, including a 54-yarder.
That was a good indicator that it actually is a competition. In recent years, the coaching staff didn’t mess with the holding situation and ultimately axed Wright’s challengers early in the summer. This year is different.
From a punting perspective, the preseason games haven’t revealed too much, as both Wright and Chapman have had some solid punts without any highlights or lowlights on tape. Consistency is always key, and the staff has a good understanding of that through observing them in practice.
Wright was a restricted free agent this past offseason, and the Vikings gave him a one-year contract extension. The deal is worth up to $2 million, with only $650,000 of that hitting the books if the club does decide to move on. Chapman signed a three-year contract worth nearly $3 million. Only $72,500 of that is guaranteed.
The fourth-year Viking has been pretty much an average punter in his time with the club, which is why the decision-makers have had the intention to challenge him this offseason.
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 was listed as the 17th of 34 punters by the PFF grading system. His hangtime also ranked him 17th.
He does have a strong leg, but has not been the most consistent punter in the world from an accuracy standpoint. Chapman might be better in that regard, and he has something called the banana punt in his repertoire. The Aussie punter who attended Auburn could really have a shot at unseating the veteran.
The special teams unit will be in focus in the upcoming days, including the preseason matchup, as both return spots are still vacant. Tai Felton is favored to return kicks, but his fumble versus the Patriots raised some questions. Wideout Myles Price has had some decent returns at both punt and kickoff, but it remains to be seen whether the Vikings actually trust the undrafted rookie or if an experienced returner is added until the bullets fly on September 8th.
The competition between Chapman and Wright will be resolved one way or another next week when the Vikings have to cut 38 players.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.