The Minnesota Vikings have quietly moved on from one of their young playmakers who saw zero action against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night, Nov. 3.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell sidelined a healthy Ty Chandler, formerly the team's backup running back in each of the past two seasons. Chandler saw zero offensive snaps against the Colts on "Sunday Night Football" after earning the status of a potential breakout player during his second NFL season in 2023.
Chandler produced 461 rushing yards and 3 rushing TDs last year, during which he mostly played behind Alexander Mattison. The 2022 fifth-round pick garnered four starts last season and appeared on offense in all of the team's seven regular season contests this year before getting shelved in Week 9.
"I don’t think they’re terribly happy with Ty Chandler in some capacities of the game," Star Tribune's Ben Goessling said. "I think pass protection has been a question with him, and he just hasn’t seemed to have the explosiveness that we’ve seen from him at times."
That is a significant issue for Minnesota, which is now 6-2, considering the fact that QB Sam Darnold has taken 25 sacks through eight games this season. Those numbers, which have gotten worse over the last four games, are likely to continue to be a significant problem for the Vikings after left tackle Christian Darrisaw was lost for the season due to a knee injury he suffered against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8.
Chandler is in the third season of his four-year, $4 million rookie contract and could ultimately end up phased out of the lineup entirely, as the Vikings recently added running back Cam Akers as a backup to starter Aaron Jones.
