EAGAN, Minn. -- Ty Chandler grew into a cult hero of Minnesota Vikings fans this season, long before he got a chance to be the team's lead running back. Like a backup quarterback behind a struggling starter, Chandler always seemed to profile as someone who might perform better.
The Vikings' brain trust, however, didn't agree. Despite some of the NFL's most anemic rushing numbers, and having seen for themselves his potential for explosiveness, coaches held Chandler in a supplemental role until they had no other realistic choice. His 132-yard performance in Saturday's 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Vikings' first 100-yard rushing game in more than a calendar year, was a reminder that sometimes decisions aren't hard as NFL teams make them.
"A lot of times you see more of the finished product [in the development of a player]," offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said, "and you say, 'Why wasn't he in right from the start?' There's been a lot of growth from when he first came in."
There's no doubt Chandler has made significant strides since the Vikings made him a fifth-round pick in 2022. But his winding road toward Saturday's performance, and the reality that it might not be enough to keep him in the starting lineup, provides an insightful window into the way the Vikings' coaching staff -- and coach Kevin O'Connell in particular -- has managed personnel in what has been a relatively convivial locker room during its 31-game tenure in Minnesota.
As a former NFL player himself, O'Connell was the victim of a quick and surprising judgment when the New England Patriots waived him one year after making him a third-round draft choice in 2008. Whether by coincidence or intent, O'Connell has taken a much different approach to decision-making.
Last season, for example, he was either unwilling or unable to impose significant changes on the failing scheme of defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, who said publicly players would eventually learn to execute it better, even as it led to a quick playoff exit. In 2023, O'Connell decided to keep quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the starting lineup after a four-interception game, even though his original backup, Nick Mullens, was available. In explaining that decision to the Fox broadcast crew that announced the Vikings' Week 14 game at Las Vegas, O'Connell said he wanted to give Dobbs the chance to correct mistakes that he hadn't received in other stops in his NFL career -- while also acknowledging that Dobbs essentially saved their season as an emergency acquisition.
But O'Connell's patience and loyalty has never been more evident than with the Vikings' running back position this season.
Alexander Mattison entered training camp as the Vikings' unquestioned starter following the departure of Dalvin Cook, with Chandler as his backup. Over the first three regular season games, during which the Vikings ranked No. 31 in rushing, Mattison received 76% of backfield touches and 77% of snaps. But soon it was Chandler, not Mattison, who was supplanted when the Vikings acquired veteran Cam Akers from the Los Angeles Rams.
Chandler all but disappeared from the Vikings' backfield for six games, prompting him to approach special teams coordinator Matt Daniels about getting reps as the personal protector on punts, Daniels said. In that role, Chandler began to demonstrate unmistakable big-play potential. He converted two fake punts with runs of 15 yards in Week 5 and 31 in Week 11. In between, he had a 103-yard kickoff return reversed by penalty during Week 8. In his rare appearances on offense, Chandler had two other big gains called back: a 27-yard reception on a double pass in Week 7 and a 29-yard touchdown run after Mattison entered concussion protocol in Week 10.
Akers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 9, and that turn of events seemed to provide a natural opening for Chandler. But with the Vikings parked at No. 26 in NFL rushing offense, Mattison cleared protocol in time for their next game and started against the Denver Broncos.
Mattison rushed for 81 yards on 18 carries that day, but his third-quarter fumble was a critical mistake in a 21-20 loss. O'Connell delivered a relatively harsh public assessment afterwards, saying, "We have to be critical and make sure there is an accountability factor there." It was easy to hear O'Connell's words and again think Chandler would get an opportunity to be the Vikings' lead back.
Instead, O'Connell settled on a tortured resolution: Mattison was on the field for the Vikings' first play of their next game, Week 12 against the Chicago Bears, but Chandler received the first carry. Mattison wound up taking more than twice as many carries as Chandler and continued in the lead role until Mattison's ankle injury in Week 14 left the Vikings with a thin depth chart. Chandler and kickoff returner Kene Nwangwu were the only running backs left on the 53-man roster.
O'Connell said this week he always "saw Ty getting on the field regardless" of whether injuries occurred ahead of him and suggested his slow move up the depth chart was an intentional developmental plan that required competence as a runner and a blocker.
"It has been part of his growth and process," O'Connell said. "As great as Ty was running the football [against the Bengals], there were some great moments in protection on some play-passes in protection where he solidified some things for us. He had great awareness of the looks we were playing against. ... I think Ty is exactly where we want him to be in his progression, and I think the role he is ascending to is something that we had our minds on when we brought him here, and we'll continue to everything to get him valuable touches and make him a big part of our offense."
Perhaps it's fair to think Chandler broke out Saturday because of that methodical approach, not in spite of it. O'Connell's methods, after all, have provided some indisputable dividends with other players.
Sticking with right guard Ed Ingram through a tough rookie year in 2022, and some early miscues this season, has helped Ingram develop into a solid starter. O'Connell also offered unwavering public support of place-kicker Greg Joseph during a rough stretch last season, a message that probably played a role in Joseph ranking second in the NFL over the past two seasons in clutch field goals (six), as defined by a game-tying or go-ahead conversion in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. And there have been no indications of locker room dissension over personnel decisions, particularly at running back, even as players saw what everyone else did.
"Ty has obviously got that burst to him," Mullens said. "I've known that since camp. We've known that since camp."
So it shouldn't be a surprise O'Connell stopped short this week of saying Chandler would continue to start when Mattison's ankle heals. While acknowledging "Ty is absolutely a guy that is going to continue to see a feature role in our offense," O'Connell added: "What that looks like moving forward, as far as who gets the first touch of the game and all those things, we'll continue to work through based upon what we are attempting to do scheme-wise."
There's no doubt Mattison is one of the team's most respected people. He has developed a service-oriented presence in the community, both locally and nationally, with his "I am Gifted" foundation. And as a free agent in March, he re-signed in part because the Vikings quietly assured him he would have the lead role once they finalized their separation from Cook, which did not occur until two months later. It's also reasonable to assume the Vikings trust him more with the non-running parts of the job, from pass protection to scheme adjustments.
But there are some objective reasons to conclude Chandler is now the more explosive runner, and has been for a while. He has three rushes of at least 20 yards in 72 carries this season; Mattison has one among his 168. Chandler has been more effective in goal-to-goal situations as well, scoring on both of his touches there while Mattison has gone scoreless and netted a total of one yard on 11 such carries.
Mattison did not practice Tuesday, and if he can't play Sunday against the Detroit Lions, the Vikings won't have to make an immediate decision on how to distribute carries. Chandler, for one, does not appear fazed.
Soft-spoken by nature, he repeated Saturday he was simply trying "to seize the moment" and credited the Vikings' offensive line for his success in three of the five questions he answered from reporters.
By accident, if nothing else, the Vikings might have landed where everyone thought they should -- just a few weeks later and with a bit less production than they could have had.