Overlooked Vikings Competition Is Heating Up
The Minnesota Vikings have swapped out some players from last year. Of course, Sam Darnold left the organization in March, and with him, departed Cam Bynum, Stephon Gilmore, and Shaq Griffin. Blockers Dalton Risner, Garrett Bradbury, and Ed Ingram were replaced, too. One more guy could be in danger of losing his job.
Overlooked Vikings Competition Is Heating Up
Ryan Wright joined the Vikings as an undrafted rookie in the 2022 offseason. With veteran Jordan Berry still being around, folks viewed the newcomer as an underdog. A comparable situation is unfolding this year, with undrafted rookie Oscar Chapman trying to unseat Minnesota’s punter of the last three campaigns.
There hadn’t been any traction throughout training camp until the first joint practice with the New England Patriots. Suddenly, that competition is gaining steam and actually appears to be a real one.
Vikings writer Will Ragatz of Si.com declared on Wednesday, “This was the most we’ve gotten to see from the Vikings’ punter competition throughout training camp. Ryan Wright had a couple bad punts during his opportunities, and I thought undrafted rookie Oscar Chapman clearly had the better day of the two. He might have a legit chance to win that job.”
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.
When Chapman signed with the Vikings back in April, Austin Walls of the Auburn version of Si.com wrote: “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.”
Just for comparison, 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.
Aussie punter Chapman could have a chance, considering Wright’s performance has been pretty much average. Besides booting the ball, punters have another important job. They are a crucial part of the kicking operation, as Ragatz noted:
“Holding will also matter, but at least in this practice, neither punter had an issue. They split the holds as Reichard went 4 for 4 from 33, 44, 48, and 53 yards to end the day.”
It’s a tiny sample size, and long-term consistency is key in the kicking game. Nobody cares about the nine makes if the tenth is a missed game-winner.
After a quiet start to the summer, the punting competition is finally heating up and remains a thing to watch in the remaining preseason contests. In the first preseason game, Chapman punted once, and it led to a fumble forced by fellow rookie Tai Felton.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.