The Minnesota Vikings have an embarrassment of riches at running back. It might actually be the deepest backfield in the league.
Dalvin Cook is a legitimate superstar and belongs in the conversation for most complete back in football. Kene Nwangwu is blazing-fast and seems to be accelerating his development at light speed. Alexander Mattison has game experience carrying the load and the necessary physicality to be a lead runner in the NFL.
And then there’s Ty Chandler, who stole the hearts of Vikings fans this preseason.
After Week 1 of the preseason, I wrote about my excitement for Kene Nwangwu and his improvement. And I’m still excited! When I wrote that piece, I included Chandler as an exciting footnote. It was interesting to see the rookie runner flash, but I wasn’t going to blow a few preseason carries out of proportion just yet.
But I’m now officially ready to blow Ty Chandler’s preseason carries out of proportion. And, if the rumors are true, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah may just agree with me.
The fifth-round pick out of North Carolina has flashed too often to be ignored this preseason. His burst, elusiveness, and uncanny knack for weaving his way through traffic up the middle was easily the most exciting part of the Vikings’ offense this preseason.
Chandler capitalized on his opportunities, turning 15 total carries into 113 yards and 7.5 yards per attempt. He led the league this preseason in PFF’s “Elusiveness Rating.” Fifteen carries may not be a tremendous sample size, but when you make a play on all 15 of those carries, that’s enough to start turning heads.
Robert Smith may have a soft spot for Vikings’ runner — he used to be one — but Brian Baldinger does an excellent job breaking down what makes Chandler so exciting. He’s got a variety of moves, extraordinary athleticism, and is fluid as a dancer in the open field.
The other thing that makes him so exciting is that without being a big back, relatively speaking, he’s shown a remarkable ability to keep moving after contact. He seems to be embodying one of my favorite Dalvin Cook traits. Cook can be a powerful runner when necessary; he can churn right through your tackle. But it’s way easier for him to give a defender the slip and turn that contact into a bad tackle.
Chandler shares that knack, and he has 70 of his 113 yards after first contact to show for it.
The Vikings likely took a flier on Chandler because of his talent. However, he seemed destined for the practice squad. Instead, he may just be the second-best runner on the team, creating an interesting conundrum for Adofo-Mensah and his coaching staff. If Nwangwu continues to improve, and they’ve uncovered a hidden gem in the UNC rookie, does Mattison still have enough of a role on this team to justify keeping him on the roster as he enters a contract year?
The darling of everyone’s fantasy waiver wire has mostly been productive when given the opportunity. Mattison has shown he’s got the frame to handle high-volume carries. He seemed interested in betting on himself entering his impending free agency to see if he could someone else would sign him as a starter. So long as Cook remains in Minnesota, Mattison will be fighting for second fiddle at best.
Perhaps this can be a win-win for the Vikings and Mattison. Maybe a team like the Philadelphia Eagles comes calling, allowing Mattison to at least split carries evenly alongside another runner. If Adofo-Mensah can secure reasonable compensation — about a fourth- or fifth-rounder in my estimation — this might provide an opportunity to accrue capital and patch a hole in another unit.
The best part of having an embarrassment of riches at one position is that it presents opportunities to spread the wealth around the roster.
All of this trade speculation may be something we look back on cynically if nothing comes to fruition. But if Mattison does find himself in a different jersey this season, he doesn’t need to guess why. Chandler upset the apple cart.
Chandler showed us that he is just too fun, exciting, and promising to sneak onto the practice squad. Now Mattison may be on the outside looking in.
