Vikings running back Ty Chandler is first in line to return kickoffs for the Vikings with All-Pro returner Kene Nwangwu on injured reserve, head coach Kevin O'Connell said on Thursday.
Chandler returned 37 kickoffs in his college career at Tennessee and UNC, averaging 23 yards per attempt with a 91-touchdown during his freshman year.
Chandler had a 56-yard kickoff return in his first preseason game as a rookie last year. The Vikings are high on the 2022 fifth-round pick's ability to make plays in the open field. That's a big reason why he'll likely be the team's No. 2 running back this year behind Alexander Mattison, although newly-signed veteran Myles Gaskin will also factor into that mix.
"Ty did some really good things in training camp, any time he really had the ball in his hands," O'Connell said. "And I know he's comfortable back there, so I know he's going to get some opportunities. We're going to take a look at some other guys, (but) I feel comfortable with Ty back there. I think he's earned the right to get those first opportunities, and knowing Ty, I'm sure he's going to take it and run with it."
No pun intended.
Chandler has elite 4.38 speed with a 1.46 ten-yard split that ranks in the 99th percentile among running backs, so he certainly has the athletic profile to be a threat as a kick returner.
It will, nonetheless, be very difficult to replicate the impact Nwangwu has made in that area. The Iowa State product leads the NFL with three kick return touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Unfortunately, Nwangwu has missed several weeks with what O'Connell described as a "tricky" lower-back injury, which caused him to go on IR this week. Because he was on the initial 53-man roster, Nwangwu is eligible to return as early as Week 5. Listening to O'Connell discuss it, that doesn't sound likely.
"(This) gives him the opportunity to work through his injury and ultimately maybe return to help us at some point," O'Connell said. "Don't want to put a timeline on that. (In) conversations with Kene, he's feeling better and better and we'll continue to work through that and try to get him back with us at some point this year."
If Chandler struggles, the logical next candidate to return kicks would be Brandon Powell, who is in line to be the Vikings' punt returner this year. Powell did both with the Rams in 2022.
Ultimately, the overall impact of kick returns has been dramatically lessened by rule changes over the years. In the modern game, most kickers are capable of generating touchbacks on a high volume of their kickoffs.
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