Position battles will ratchet up a notch when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Houston Texans in their preseason opener, as reps earned in training camp become opportunities to shine in a game setting.
An active offseason for the Vikings automatically pushed some incumbent players toward tenuous roster status or the trade block in a speculative fashion. The rest of camp and preseason games around the league could unveil opportunities to trade players who otherwise have diminished chances to make the 53-man roster in Minnesota.
In an early training camp 53-man roster projection for the Vikings, Alec Lewis of The Athletic made a bold prediction that Zavier Scott would beat out Ty Chandler for the No. 3 running back spot.
"This is one of the boldest choices. Scott, an undrafted product from UConn and Maine, has held his own with the backups as a pass catcher and runner. Does he have the top-end speed of Chandler? Doubtful. Does he have the experience? No. But this is more an evaluation of the first week, and Scott hasn’t left much on the table. He’ll likely receive ample opportunities in the preseason, which will give him further chances at staking a claim to a roster spot."
Scott has kept his early camp momentum going, with reporters noting he got reps with the second-team offense earlier this week. As Lewis noted, the UConn product should get a lot of run in preseason games as part of his opportunity to earn a roster spot.
Chandler has lingered somewhere on the roster bubble for months, and to this point, he has done nothing to change that. He's in line to be one of the bigger-name cuts the Vikings make when it's time to get down to 53 players.
In the preseason opener against the Houston Texans, Scott had seven carries for 40 yards and one catch for 11 yards. Chandler played two fewer snaps (16, to Scott's 18, according to Pro Football Focus), with five carries for five yards and three catches for 20 yards.
The first preseason game round of the battle for the RB3 spot went to Scott.
The Minnesota Vikings could (still) make Ty Chandler into a trade asset during the preseason
Some others could qualify, but Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report landed on Chandler as the player the Vikings should put on the trade block this preseason.
"After struggling to field a consistent running game in 2023, the Minnesota Vikings have added a noteworthy running back in each of the past two offseasons. They signed Aaron Jones Sr. a year ago and traded for Jordan Mason earlier this year."
"This likely leaves Ty Chandler as the No. 3 running back once again, and his role as a kick returner could also be in jeopardy. Offseason additions Rondale Moore, Tai Felton and Silas Bolden all have special teams potential."
"Chandler, who has averaged 25.2 yards per return in his career, is steady but not spectacular."
"If Minnesota can upgrade its return game, it should look to move Chandler ahead of his contract season. His special teams experience and solid play in 2023—he averaged 4.5 yards per carry that season while averaging just 3.3 yards per carry in 2022 and 2024—should generate some interest."
"The Vikings couldn't expect a sizeable trade package, but they could save $1.1 million in cap space by dealing the 27-year-old."
When Alexander Mattison proved not to be lead-back material, Chandler got more opportunities in the second half of the 2023 season. Over the final eight games that season, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry with double-digit carries and at least 13 touches in six of those contests. He did enough to make people think he had some potential.
However, after the Vikings signed Aaron Jones last offseason, Chandler reverted to a diminished offensive role. The team also felt compelled to re-acquire Cam Akers early last season, and he took a chunk of the few touches Jones ceded to anyone else. Over the final 12 games last season, Chandler had just 14 carries, and there were a few games where he played zero offensive snaps.
With Jones and Mason as the top two running backs for the Vikings, Chandler is left competing with Scott for the third-string running back job, and he's among several candidates for the kickoff returner gig. By all accounts, he is and has been losing the first battle, and he might be the least-interesting option in the latter battle.
Quite frankly, with a decision to cut him becoming more and more inevitable, the Vikings would have to make Chandler into a tradeable asset during preseason games. With that in mind, maybe he gets all kinds of work in the remaining two games in an attempt to showcase him for other teams.