Vikings’ under-the-radar roster fight just got impossible to ignore

Minnesota Vikings' training camp is hitting a notable phase this week, with the New England Patriots at TCO Performance Center for two days of joint practices ahead of the preseason game between the two teams on Saturday.

Joint practices have become what coaches prefer as a way to get starters some preseason work, without the injury risk of playing in a preseason game. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell is definitely a strong proponent of them, and for players, it's an opportunity to compete against an opponent.

Training camp position battles can also take on a different tenor with the upward tick in intensity during joint practices. The Vikings have a position battle going on that hasn't gotten a lot of attention, but early in camp, it may have sneakily impacted a player who is more locked into his spot.

During Wednesday's joint practice against the Patriots, that under-the-radar position battle apparently took a dramatic turn.

Ryan Wright is officially on the hot seat to keep the Minnesota Vikings' punting job

It started with an observation from Vikings On SI's Will Ragatz.

The performance of the Vikings' punters was of course noticeable to others who were on-site, like Warren Ludford of The Daily Norseman.

If you're counting a home, and why wouldn't you be, that's four lackluster punts from Ryan Wright as chronicled by Ludford.

Tyler Forness of AtoZ Sports summed Wright's day up rather nicely, starting with the heading "Ryan Wright might be a liability" in that section of his joint practice observations.

"Punter isn’t a crucial position on the team, but it’s one that you still want a good player, because flipping the field gives you an advantage. With that said, the Vikings might have a punter problem."

"Ryan Wright is entering his fourth season and he is far from consistent. He also had four punts in a row that were rough, including missing horribly on a couple of coffin corner style kicks. It’s not the biggest area of concern, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. His contract will have $650,000 in dead cap if he gets cut, but that’s not enough to keep him around. If Oscar Chapman starts to show out, keep an eye on this battle."

Wright was signed by the Vikings an undrafted free agent in 2022, and he beat out an unremarkable veteran (Jordan Berry) for the punting job that year. He has been fine since, averaging 47.6 yard per punt over the last three seasons with a top-10 mark in 2023 (48.9 yards per punt). In the other two seasons, he has been top-10 in percentage of punts downed inside the 20-yard line.

The Vikings added Oscar Chapman via the NFL's International Pathways Program this offseason, so it's been difficult to see him as much more than a flier and cursory competition for Wright.

But over five seasons at Auburn (2020-2024), Chapman was top-five in the SEC in punting average three times. Last season, 11 of his 41 punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. He has NFL potential, if he can find the right opportunity.

Wright is also the holder for the Vikings on placekicks, which theoretically adds an important layer to his job security. Well, not so fast on that. Chapman has been getting mixed in some as the holder, in case he seizes the punting job, and on Wednesday, that continued.

If Wright didn't see Chapman as legit competition before, he certainly does now after a rough joint practice that was impossible for anyone to ignore. One day is not enough to make any declarations, but the competition to be the Vikings' punter in 2025 definitely took a turn toward Chapman on Wednesday.

More Vikings news and analysis