Tag: ty chandler

Should the Chargers trade for Vikings RB Alexander Mattison?

Could the Chargers look to add to their running back room?

On Monday, multiple sources reported that the Vikings were fielding trade offers for running back Alexander Mattison, with somewhere between six and 12 teams reported to have submitted an offer. Should the Chargers join the mix if they are not already one of those teams?

Mattison seemed to be on track to become one of the best backups in the league after a 462-yard rookie season, but his production has remained somewhat stagnant in the two seasons since. Behind star Dalvin Cook, Mattison has never cleared 500 rushing yards in a season, although his production as a receiver has steadily improved every year. His vision, or lack thereof, has become a talking point in Minnesota, especially this preseason with the emergence of Kene Nwangwu and rookie Ty Chandler.

Compensation-wise, it’s rumored Minnesota wants a third or fourth-round pick in return for the running back. Mattison’s contract expires after this season, and allowing him to walk in free agency would likely net the Vikings a compensatory pick in that range anyway. Acquiring one this early on guarantees that pick, rather than running the risk that free agent additions negate the loss of Mattison as far as the compensatory pick formula goes.

Los Angeles has room to upgrade their running back room potentially. While Joshua Kelley has looked like a much-improved player and the favorite for RB2, his pass-catching chops have been inconsistent this preseason. Rookie Isaiah Spiller is struggling with an ankle injury, but the team is optimistic about his future. Larry Rountree III primarily provides special teams value currently but does have a power element to his game.

Ultimately, if the Chargers are to get involved in trade discussions for Mattison, I think they’d have to conclude that the upgrade Mattison represents over Kelley would be substantial enough to move the championship needle significantly. Kelley would then be the RB3, with Spiller at RB4 and Rountree likely off the roster. I don’t think the Chargers will make such a move with the way they’ve talked about their group this offseason. There’s no incentive to further bury Kelley or Spiller with how they’ve looked in training camp and preseason action. Mattison isn’t enough of an upgrade to spend a third or fourth-round draft capital on, especially for a team that prefers to build their depth through the later stages of the draft.

Brian Asamoah wins Mr. Mankato

The battle for Mr. Mankato was a close one this year

The prestigious Mr. Mankato award was won by rookie linebacker Brian Asamoah.

The award was created by Vikings analysts Judd Zulgad and Phil Mackey from SKOR North back in 2014. The rules are as follows:

1.) Player MUST be a 3rd round draft pick or later (undrafted/signed from a practice squad counts)

2.) Player must not be an “established NFL player”

3.) If a player does not fall into category 1 or 2, a committee member may put that player up for review — and that player must receive more than 50% of the vote to be put on the ballot

4.) The competition runs through the entire preseason-not just the Mankato portion. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Even though the Vikings don’t attend training camp in Mankato anymore, the heart of the award remains intact.

Asamoah was a stud on defense for the Vikings in both preseason games and at practice. His explosiveness and instincts showed up in a big way.

His biggest competition was running back Ty Chandler, who looked fantastic in all three preseason games with his elite explosiveness and surprisingly powerful running style.

With the Mr. Mankato competition finished, the future is bright for the Minnesota Vikings.

Instant analysis from the Vikings 23-13 loss vs the Broncos on Saturday

The Vikings lost a tough game to the Broncos, dropping them to 0-3 in the preseason

The Minnesota Vikings played well at times but lost a tough game to the Denver Broncos 23-13.

The focus was on the quarterbacks, as the Viking acquired Nick Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday morning. He did not get into the game, so we got Sean Mannion in the first half and Kellen Mond in the second half

Both guys struggled throughout the game. Mannion went 9-of-16 for 121 yards and had the worst play of the game for the Vikings. He was strip-sacked and Baron Browning took it for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown.

When Kellen Mond took over in the second half, things didn’t get any better. He finished 10-of-17 for 102 yards while looking lost and uncomfortable in the pocket during the entire half.

The biggest takeaway regarding the quarterback position is it shouldn’t have either Mannion or Mond rostered as neither has proven that they can be a quality NFL quarterback.

Running back Ty Chandler looked like the best Viking on the field, showcasing his elite burst and speed with great vision. He finished the day with five rushes for 44 yards at a staggering 8.8 yards per rush.

The defense had a lot of ups and downs. Some of that was due to the injuries that the unit sustained. They also got caught over pursuing consistently, including on a reverse touchdown for Montrell Washington.

Myles Dorn was the highlight of the defense. He was all over the field on Saturday night with six tackles and two passes defended. With Metellus getting injured early on, Dorn might have earned himself a roster spot.

Now that the preseason is done, the Vikings look toward two dates: cut down day on August 30th and week one against the Green Bay Packers on September 11th.

Finishing winless in the preseason isn’t ideal, but the development of players and talent evaluation is more important. The Vikings have a lot of decisions to make over the next 72 hours and you can keep track of all those decisions here.

Highlights of former Tar Heels in action Week 2 of the NFL preseason

Take a look at what some of your favorite Tar Heels did in the NFL this past weekend with the NFL preseason officially underway.

The NFL regular season is near as week two of preseason football is behind us and one again some former North Carolina players made an impact.

This season should be fruitful for Carolina fans, as many former players are not only gearing up in the NFL but are written on a few depth charts as starters.

Mitch Trubisky is in the driver seat to lead the huddle this season in Pittsburgh, while Javonte Williams is set as the lead back in a split workload for the Denver Broncos.  Running back Ty Chandler looks to be making a case for a spot in Minnesota with 10 carries for a 6.9-yard average, and Antonio Williams looks to secure a spot with the New York Giants.

As the season continues, we will highlight some Tar Heels for break-out performances. Here are highlight plays from your favorite UNC players.

Ty Chandler finds end zone in Vikings loss

Minnesota Vikings rookie running back Ty Chander scored again in the preseason, this time against the San Francisco 49ers.

Make that two touchdowns in two preseason games for former UNC running back [autotag]Ty Chandler[/autotag].

A week after he scored a touchdown on a kick return, Chandler was the lone Minnesota Viking to find the end zone in Saturday’s 17-7 preseason loss to San Francisco. Chandler found the end zone late in the first half to give the Vikings a 7-3 lead over the 49ers.

Watch as Chandler takes it in from a few yards out for his second preseason touchdown here in 2022:

After spending one season in Chapel Hill, Chandler was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He joined a pretty crowded Vikings backfield led by Dalvin Cook but so far Chandler has been impressive.

He rushed for 19 yards on 5 carries on Saturday after injuring himself in practice earlier in the week.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

49ers vs Vikings: 3 Takeaways at Halftime

The first half had some major takeaways

After joint practices for two days earlier this week, the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings are currently playing at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Just an hour and a half before game time, the Vikings announced that 27 of their 85 players on the roster would not play.

In turn, the 49ers also announced that they would also not be playing 27 players.

Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins all missed the game, meaning it was an opportunity for the backup quarterbacks for both sides to get meaningful reps.

The first half left us with some strong takeaways. Here were the three takeaways from the first half.

2022 Minnesota Vikings Season Preview: Running Backs

Our preview series continues with the running backs

The 2022 season is less than a month away and it’s time to get excited Vikings fans.

In a similar vein to how fans felt when Mike Zimmer took over for Leslie Frazier, the excitement is palpable for the beginning of the Kevin O’Connell era.

While the team prepares for the season, we are doing the same at the Vikings Wire. We will be producing previews breaking down both each position and the team as a whole.

Today, we continue with our preview series by talking about the running backs.

Quarterback Preview

4 Things to Watch Heading Into Week 2 vs San Francisco

The most important game of the preseason is on Saturday

The second week of the preseason is arguably the most important.

Much like week three used to be before the 17th game was added last year, week two is treated like a dress rehearsal. This game has some game planning involved and gives players and teams a true game week experience.

Usually, the starters will play a significant amount of time. Per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, that might not be the case for the Vikings having spent two days facing the 49ers in joint practices.

If they don’t play much on Saturday, it will be great for the young players to get some extra reps in. With the game not meaning anything from a record standpoint, the score is less important than the performance of players and units.

Here are four things that you need to be watching out for during Saturday’s game.

 

Rookie Standout Chandler Injured in Practice

The young running back is dealing with a minor injury

The Vikings appeared to have struck gold in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Ty Chandler was drafted as a fifth-year senior after spending four seasons at Tennessee and one standout year at North Carolina in 2021. In his first NFL game action, he shined against the Las Vegas Raiders. He ran for 50 yards on just five carries and had a 56-yard kick return in the third quarter.

During practice on Wednesday, Chandler, unfortunately, suffered an injury to his ankle.

With head coach Kevin O’Connell being optimistic about him playing on Saturday, it’s a good sign that the injury isn’t serious.

It’s also curious that beat writer Kevin Seifert thinks that a lot of front-line guys won’t play due to practice. This bodes well for where the team is currently at and gives the young players reps.

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Winners and Losers from Vikings preseason loss to Raiders

Winners and losers from the Vikings’ preseason opener.

The Minnesota Vikings just completed their first preseason game, a 26-20 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night.

While you want to win preseason games, the most important part of them is seeing growth and development from your young players. For the Vikings, they also are using this time to install a new scheme on both sides of the football.

Within the game, there were definite winners and losers based on their performances in the matchup.