Vikings’ Under-The-Radar RB “Has Flashed”
Long gone are the days of Adrian Peterson seemingly occupying every running back snap imaginable. His cyborg-like body helped him to stay in the game and carry the rock all day (pun intended).
In today’s NFL, teams rotate rushers and need at least two or even three players to do some work each week. For the Vikings, Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are guaranteed to touch the ball; the third spot, however, is a battle.
Vikings’ Under-The-Radar RB “Has Flashed”
The Vikings employ three more running backs besides the top two guys. Those are Ty Chandler, a 2022 fifth-rounder in the final year of his rookie contract, 2023 undrafted rookie Zavier Scott, and 2025 undrafted rookie Tre Stewart.
As the incumbent RB3, Chandler is the favorite to keep that role, especially with his special teams experience. Of the other two, people viewed Stewart as the main threat due to his gaudy numbers in college. Scott, who has spent two seasons on practice squads, including one in the Twin Cities, won’t have a chance.
Well, not so fast. Through the first week of camp, the running back position has barely made any noise because the two established halfbacks have a chokehold on the carries. However, on Monday, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis released a minor detail as one of many training camp observations: “The No. 3 running back spot appears to be up for grabs. Ty Chandler’s special teams experience matters, but Zavier Scott has flashed in recent days with his pass-catching ability out of the backfield.”
Scott just turned 26 years old. Prior to his NFL journey, he attended UConn for three years and then Maine for three years. He lined up at wide receiver, running back, tight end, and even wildcat quarterback in his college career.
At 6’1″ and 219 lbs, Scott is a bigger running back, a hint that he wouldn’t be as gifted at catching the ball as smaller backs. Scott’s background as a receiver/runner hybrid helps him excel in that area, though.
In fact, Scott had more receiving yards than rushing yards in his final collegiate season in 2022. He registered 352 rushing yards and 438 through the air. For those curious, he also had two passing yards.
After going undrafted in 2023, Scott signed with the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent most of the year on the practice squad. The Colts waived him after last year’s preseason, and the Vikings added him to their practice squad. He has yet to make his NFL debut.
Last year, Scott rushed 14 times for 74 yards and a touchdown in the preseason, resulting in a good 5.4 yards per carry. He also caught two passes for ten yards.
Scott still needs a big camp and preseason to usurp Chandler and prevent the Vikings from signing an outside body. There’s never a shortage of depth running backs, especially in the regular season.
His challenger, Stewart, will be one of the most fascinating players to watch in the preseason after rushing for over 1,600 yards and 25 touchdowns in the 2024 season alone at Jacksonville State. If his game translates to the pros and the stronger competition, he could easily claim the RB3 spot, but that’s a big if.
About Chandler, head coach Kevin O’Connell pretty much explained why he hasn’t gotten more carries in the past three seasons. “There are times Ty Chandler has been one of our most explosive players,” O’Connell told the media last week. “It might not even be a play that fans notice. Like last year, he spells Aaron [Jones] or Cam for a few snaps and has a great 6-yard run on a duo. Then I go fast on a tempo pass play and we have a protection issue.”
Protection issues bother coaches, and it explains why the Vikings acquired Cam Akers in each of the last two seasons instead of trusting Chandler with a bigger role.
Scott’s pass-catching ability could be a wildcard in the RB race.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.