While Wright has left plenty to be desired, during his first three years as MN Vikings punter and even during 2025 training camp and preseason, he continues to hang on for his NFL life. Since his competition was cut on Monday, however, reporters have revealed more details behind the Vikings’ thinking.

Oscar Chapman still has a path to Minnesota Vikings practice squad

After kicking for the Auburn Tigers for five seasons, Chapman signed with the Minnesota Vikings, with the hope that he’d be able to unseat Wright, who the Vikings have been (not-so-quietly) been interested in replacing.

Unfortunately, a botched field goal hold in the Vikings’ final preseason game cost him that opportunity. According to the Star Tribune’s Emily Leiker, though, if the Aussie right-footed punter passes through waivers, he’ll be back at TCO Performance Center in short order.

As long as Chapman clears waivers and is not signed by another team, the Vikings are likely to add him to the practice squad, where he would have a designated spot as a part of the International Player Pathway program.

Emily Leiker – Star Tribune

Going into Friday’s preseason game, the Minnesota Vikings made it very clear, in their deployment of Chapman and Wright alone, what each punter needed to prove. The UDFA — who’s biggest issue at camp has been consistency catching and holding footballs for Will Reichard during field goals — was the holder.

How Chapman lost Vikings punter battle to Ryan Wright

The incumbent veteran, who had a bounceback 2024 season — 73.1 PFF grade, 6.8 YPR, 28 punts downed inside the 20 yd line — has struggled to coffin teams inside the 10 yard line and consistently flip the field, since his impressive rookie year. didn’t punt during the game and instead just had holder duties.

Wright didn’t steal the special teams show against the Titans, but he did down two balls inside the 20 yard line. Unfortunately for Chapman, he bobbled a snap that Reichard ultimately kicked wide-left, the sophomore placekicker’s only miss of the preseason. Here’s the bobble that sealed the rookie’s fate.

The hold by Oscar Chapman 😬 pic.twitter.com/lr0TZSXZlD

— Sean Borman (@SeanBormanNFL) August 23, 2025

There doesn’t appear to be much concern about whether Chapman can punt. He has a big leg and interesting style that makes it difficult for returners to settle under the balls he kicks. But in order to succeed as a punter with the Minnesota Vikings, he needs to hone his holding skills.

Related: Minnesota Vikings End Special Teams Competition

Should he clear waivers, Chapman would be able to come back to the Vikings, as a member of the practice squad. Because he is from Australia, Minnesota would be able to use their international player exemption so that he does not use up one of 16 practice squad spots allowed for each NFL team.

After Tuesday’s 53-man roster cut down (3 p.m. CDT today), we’ll have a much better indication of whether or not Chapman impressed enough to make another team’s active roster, or if the MN Vikings will get a chance to develop him further in Eagan.

Wright has been the starting punter in Minnesota for three seasons. His numbers are ok. He averaged 46.5 yards per punt in 2024, and put 48.2% of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, a career high. Chapman started 59 games as Auburn’s punter. He averaged 43.5 yards per punt during his five-year college career.

Oscar Chapman waived by MN Vikings, Ryan Wright wins job

On Monday, in a surprise move by the Vikings, Chapman was waived. As a result, the presumed winner of Minnesota’s punter competition is Wright, who now enters his fourth regular season as this team’s punter.

The #Vikings have waived P Oscar Chapman and T Leroy Watson IV.

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 25, 2025

From all accounts, Oscar Chapman was a better punter than Ryan Wright throughout training camp and during the preseason. He can punt the football multiple different ways, and his punts are hard for returns to catch, as was made evident throughout the preseason.

But punting duties in the NFL these days usually go beyond kicking a dropped football a few times per game. Most punters, including those playing for the Vikings, must also be able to catch and hold footballs for placekicker, Will Reichard, to kick through the uprights during field goal attempts.

Unfortunately for Chapman, after a clean preseason to that point, he made one costly mistake during the Minnesota Vikings’ third exhibition game in Tennessee, bobbling a snap that forced Reichard’s timing to be slightly off. It was Will’s only miss of the preseason.

The exact moment Oscar Chapman lost the punting competition.

Fully expect Vikings P Ryan Wright to win the battle now and make the 53-man roster.
pic.twitter.com/Zf01CbvEF3

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) August 23, 2025

Related: Adam Thielen Wants to Come Home; Vikings Trying…

Wright’s 46.5 yards per punt last season was a career low. His 40.5 net yards per punt was too. His touchback number did drop slightly in 2024 (8.9%), better than his 11.9% in 2023. Still, what happened to the Ryan Wright who posted a 1.4% touchback number as a rookie? We want that kid back…

Confusing decision on Chapman for MN Vikings

Because of the international player exemption allotted to all NFL teams, the Vikings could have kept Chapman on the practice squad without putting him through waivers or counting him against the 53-man roster.

Instead, the Vikings decided not to exercise that exemption, and straight waived him instead. That’s what makes this move odd. If holding was truly his issue, that seems like something they could have worked on developing trust and chemistry throughout the year.

Chapman has a unique punting style that often presents odd rotation patterns for return men to key in on. He appeared to be a superior punter in comparison to Wright, and Minnesota has seen the incumbents skills decline the past two years.

PUNT APPRECIATION POST.

This one goes in the books as a 74-yarder for
Oscar Chapman. @AuburnFootball pic.twitter.com/zAKptYqVtT

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 30, 2023

Related: Another Sensible MN Vikings Reunion Just Got Easier

This represents the second-straight season in which the Minnesota Vikings have brought in punting competition for Wright. Last year he bested Seth Vernon to hang onto the job. Maybe Minnesota will regret this move, or choose to bring Chapman back down the road? Time will tell.

The Minnesota Vikings also released depth offensive tackle Leroy Watson IV. That puts their roster at 77, meaning there are an additional 24 cuts yet to come.

That said, it doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty to keep an eye on. Sam Howell has looked horrible as a backup quarterback option, and Max Brosmer has looked anything but. We don’t know if that will be enough to elevate him to QB2 status, but he can make a final mark in Nashville.

When it comes to starting roles though, it’s the specialists that should draw your eyes. Return duties are still up in the air, and punter Oscar Chapman is looking to unseat veteran Ryan Wright.

Oscar Chapman coming for Minnesota Vikings punter role

Ryan Wright has been the MN Vikings punter for each of the past three seasons. After a standout rookie campaign he has taken steps backwards the past two seasons. Oscar Chapman went undrafted out of Auburn, but he’s looking to stick on the final 53-man roster. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis sees a real possibility that it could.

Can Chapman steal the spot from Wright? How he looks Friday night might answer that question. Wright has not had an exceptional training camp. That would be a minuscule data point, but he is emerging from two lackluster seasons.

Chapman, an undrafted signing from Australia by way of Auburn, hasn’t blown the doors off the place, either. He has, though, earned kicker Will Reichard’s trust as a holder. Put on a nice display, and the Vikings may have a new punter for the first time since 2021.

The Athletic

As a rookie Wright had a touchback rate of just 1.4%. It then ballooned to 11.9% and was still at 8.9% last season. He has a big leg, but the field position game is something that Wright hasn’t had dialed in since his first season in the league.

Chapman punted for five seasons with Auburn. His career average was 43.5 yards per punt, and in the SEC, he clearly handled some hostile environments. The NFL is a new beast entirely, but developing a cohesion with kicker Will Reichard was always going to be a smart move.

The #Vikings are signing former Auburn P Oscar Chapman. Here is a clip of him BOOMING a 74 yard punt:pic.twitter.com/kzrCA3JHss

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) April 26, 2025

Minnesota leaning into Chapman’s abilities as a holder may get him on the roster. If he can elevate Reichard’s game too, that would be a bonus. Minnesota used a sixth round pick on the former Alabama kicker last season. In 13 games as a rookie, Reichard hit 80% of his field goals and was good from 58 yards out.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Trade Starting Lineman to Jets

The Vikings haven’t had a substantially-tenured punter since Chris Kluwe held down the role for eight seasons from 2005-2012. Wright was already tested last training camp when the team brought in Seth Vernon to compete with him. Chapman repeats the practice, but may actually have the upper hand.

Kevin O’Connell won’t be watching J.J. McCarthy on Friday night against the Tennessee Titans. He, and special teams coach Matt Daniels, should be locked in on Chapman though.

John Parker Romo was initially (and begrudgingly) cut before resurfacing as the team’s kicker when Will Reichard went down. Seth Vernon came in to challenge Ryan Wright as a punter after the incumbent had a poor 2024 season.

Reichard is beyond locked in as Minnesota’s kicker this season, and John Parker Romo actually played against the Vikings in a kicking competition for New England on Saturday. Wright is again being pushed, this time by Auburn’s Oscar Chapman.

Ocasr Chapman coming for MN Vikings punting job

Last year the competition for Ryan Wright was not all that stout. It didn’t matter how far Vernon could boot the ball because he couldn’t control it. Wright wound up having a better season, but that doesn’t mean the MN Vikings are satisfied. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis even believes the undrafted Chapman is making things interesting.

Last year, the Vikings signed punter Seth Vernon as competition for Ryan Wright. Vernon could boot the ball a mile, but his accuracy and holding ability prevented him from winning the job.

Chapman, an undrafted rookie from Auburn, appears to be a more capable competitor. He averaged 52.5 yards on two punts Saturday and held for three of kicker Will Reichard’s field goal makes. The holding has given Wright a leg up in past seasons, but Chapman is making a push.

The Athletic

While punting is the primary responsibility for the role of a punter, their greatest impact may be on holding kicks. As a rookie last season, Will Reichard went 24-of-30 on kicks (80%) and nailed 8-of-11 from more than 50 yards.

Will Reichard makes the kick pic.twitter.com/Konb4snXk9

— Afro (@coolwolvesfan) August 5, 2025

Those long kicks are where holders have no room for error. The ball must come off the ground at a lower trajectory to go through the uprights, and the holder must make sure it’s positioned optimally. If Chapman can carve out an advantage there, and Reichard did nail three of Reichard’s makes against New England of Sunday, his path to the roster gets clearer.

Chapman punted in 59 games across five seasons for the Auburn Tigers. He averaged 43.5 yards per punt, and had to operate in extremely tense environments while playing in the SEC.

Related: Kevin O’Connell Sending Mixed Signals on Vikings QB Competition

This would be Wright’s fourth year punting for the Vikings after leaving Tulane. He posted a strong rookie season with a 47.4 yards per punt average, and just a 1.4% touchback rate. He was awful in 2023, but rebounded slightly last year. It will be interesting to see how much rope the Minnesota Vikings let him play with.

Friday, we got clarification regarding their stance on 2024 QB Sam Darnold. Early Sunday, they even re-signed 1,000 yard running back Aaron Jones. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wasn’t quite finished with his pre-free agency moves yet, though.

Punter Ryan Wright re-signs with Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings believe they have their kicker of the future, in 2024 5th round draft pick, Will Reichard. Late Sunday night, news broke that Vikings punter and (and Reichard’s holder) Ryan Wright will join him in the specialists room for at least one more season ($1.75M), per Tom Pelissero.

Punter news: The #Vikings and Ryan Wright agreed to terms on one-year, $1.75 million deal, per source. Wright, who was scheduled to be a restricted free agent, can earn up to $2M with incentives. pic.twitter.com/TnDrBayikn

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2025

Ryan Wright has spent three seasons in the NFL, all as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. The new deal is a decent sized raise for Wright, who has only made $2.5 million through the first three years of his career. Should the former Tulane Green Wave punter max out his incentives in 2025, he can get semi-close to that number in just one season.

Last offseason the Minnesota Vikings brought in some competition to push Wright into winning the job. He ultimately persevered and held down the role for the entire season. We’ll see if they look to push him in camp again this summer.

How good is Vikings punter Ryan Wright?

In 2023 the biggest issue for Wright was field position. Although his 48.9 yards per punt was a career-high, he had an 11.9% touchback rate and landed just 28.8% of his kicks inside the 20 yard line. The script flipped in 2024 with a career-best 48.2% of his punts landing within the 20 yard line.

In an ideal world, the Minnesota Vikings would love to see Wright marry his 1.4% touchback rate from his rookie season, to the 48.2% of his punts that landed within the 20 yard line last year.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Strike New Deal with Aaron Jones

The ability to pin back the opposing offense, while not bouncing the ball into the end zone, would be great. Last season he owned an 8.9% touchback rate. Due to the Vikings offensive prowess with Sam Darnold at the helm, Wright was called on to punt just 56 times last year.

That represents a career-low. His big leg resulted in a long of 66 yards. Kevin Seifert (ESPN) has suggested that Wright’s new deal won’t stop the Vikings from bringing in some competition for him in training camp. At the very least though, this deal very much makes Minnesota’s 2025 punting job his to lose.

Loser gets no banner and they will fall all the way to the No. 5 seed in the NFC, which instead of a first round bye, will play on the road as a Wildcard team. In other words, all the pieces are in place for an epic night of Vikings football. This is the first time a division and No. 1 seed has been on the line between two division foes since 1993.

Minnesota Vikings trying out punters…?

Or are they…? In a rather surprising report Tuesday, NFL insider Aaron Wilson (NBC – Houston) tweeted that the Minnesota Vikings worked out two punters on Tuesday — Jake Julien and Nik Constantinou — along with a couple of depth offensive tackles. The Vikings’ punter for the past three seasons, Ryan Wright, is a 2024 Pro Bowl finalist.

#Vikings worked out Ilm Manning, Trevor Reid, Jake Julien, Nik Constantinou

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 31, 2024

• Jake Julien (27 y/o) – No NFL experience; Played most recently in CFL (2023-2024)
• Nik Constantinou (28 y/o) – No NFL experience; Played most recently in CFL (2024)

Something must be wrong with Ryan Wright

In 2024, Ryan Wright (who also holds for field goals) has a 71.2 PFF grade, the highest of his career, if it holds. His NET yardage, however, is down from 42.3 yards in 2022 to 41.6 yards in 2023 to 40.3 in 2024. That’s not the story of his season, though.

The Minnesota Vikings have one of the highest powered offenses in the league and are rarely punting from deep inside their own territory. The proof is in Wright’s numbers. Last season, he downed just 17 punts inside the opponent 20-yard-line. This season, he has coffined 27, which is good for over 50% of his total punts (53) on the season.

Related: Of Course the Vikings are Going to Activate Daniel Jones

So, why did the Vikings bring in not one, but two punters on Tuesday? I’d have to imagine this is a Ryan Wright injury or personal matter issue. There’s nothing in Wright’s numbers that would suggest they feel a need to change what they are doing at punter, right before the final game of the regular season.

Ryan Wright not a guarantee for the Minnesota Vikings

Head coach Kevin O’Connell set the Vikings’ 53-man roster last week. After a back-and-forth camp battle, Ryan Wright won his 2023 job back, over challenger, Seth Vernon. Even then, however, reports suggested he was still punting for his job on a daily basis, at practice.

That proved Thursday, when news broke via James Larsen (PFN) that the Minnesota Vikings are bringing in former USFL punter, Brock Miller, for a workout.

The Minnesota #Vikings are working out punter Brock Miller today, per source.

Miller has spent the last three years in spring ball with the @USFLPanthers & @USFLGenerals – which also included a PS stint with the Rams in '22. https://t.co/ivACKqUiJQ

— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) September 5, 2024

Soooo @Br0ckMiller has a 🚀 for a leg…

An INCREDIBLE 85-yard punt!

📺 @USA_Network pic.twitter.com/acftfdyVmf

— New Jersey Generals (@USFLGenerals) June 18, 2022

Brock Miller was a standout in the now disbanded USHL. His big leg has turned some heads, and keeps getting him professional chances. Now, the Vikings are giving him another one. We’ll see if he can take advantage. Remember, Wright is also the holder for Will Reichard. That matters.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Punter Still on Thin Ice

The Vikings have seen similar results from Wright, but consistency has been an issue. Minnesota is simply bringing Miller in for a tryout, and it seems unlikely they would sign him this week. The information could help them to make further determinations after Wright gets a game or two under his belt.

How does Ryan Wright keep the Minnesota Vikings punting job?

Minnesota has employed Wright each of the past two seasons. He was a standout during his rookie year thanks to efficiency. While he can boom the football, the punter role is most about capitalizing on field position. Wright put 43.8% of his kicks inside the 20 during his first season. He had just one touchback and was considered an asset.

Last year Wright had a greater yards per attempt, but his efficiency tanked. The Vikings punted landed just 28.8% of his kicks inside the 20, and seven of them bounced into the end zone. It was a significant step backwards, and Kevin O’Connell needs his team to improve on the margins.

Related: Vikings are Incredibly Healthy Entering Week 1… Except at WR

With a new quarterback, and working through personnel changes, field position will be imperative for the Vikings. Wright’s sole purpose ties directly into that category and his leash is incredibly short. Minnesota will be evaluating their punter on a per-kick basis, and if that seems stressful, it probably should be.

It remains to be seen if Wright can hold the job all season long. Right now, it would seem to be an uphill battle.

Much later on, incumbent punter Ryan Wright won that battle over Seth Vernon. Unlike Reichard, though, Wright’s job does not sound like it is safe, entering week one.

Ryan Wright’s job with Minnesota Vikings is not secure

The Minnesota Vikings employed Ryan Wright as their punter in 2022, after signing him as an undrafted rookie free agent. He punted for them in all 17 games, and looked like he might be their future at that position. Then 2023 happened, and Wright lost his foot hold (pun intended) on the job.

According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, he’s on thin ice, even after making the 53-man roster, and needs to have a good game vs New York, or the Vikings may look elsewhere.

Already feels like he’s on thin ice. Must be dialed in Week 1 in New York.

Alec Lewis on Vikings punter Ryan Wright (The Athletic)

While Wright did post a better average per punt last season, the net yardage was down and his efficiency turned awful. Nearly 12% of his punts landed in the end zone, and almost 20% from those downed in the red zone was lopped off. To say the results were disappointing is putting it kindly.

Related: Turns Out, the Packers Didn’t Want Greg Joseph Either

Despite Wright making the roster and winning the job, there is no time for him to get comfortable. The Vikings made a move at quarterback already after Jaren Hall made the team. Green Bay also swapped out kickers on day after landing on their decision.

Minnesota needs to see Wright come out strong against the Giants in Week 1. There aren’t a significant amount of answers for the punting game. Vernon could be invited back if the Vikings aren’t satisfied out of the gate.

Ryan Wright just punted a ball like 80 yards on the fly pic.twitter.com/mWeBkb3Aq4

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 16, 2022

Related: Surprise: Minnesota Vikings Cut Jaren Hall, Sign New QB

The Vikings know Wright has gotten the job done previously, and they’ll need more of that in the year ahead. If Wright can recapture the ability he showed as a rookie, then Minnesota will be in very good shape. So too will his job status.

Ryan Wright wins Minnesota Vikings punting competition

After the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns during the second week of the preseason, they had seen enough. Although Ryan Wright and Seth Vernon were both vying for the punter job during the regular season, the incumbent proved victorious.

The #Vikings have signed WR Justin Hall and waived P Seth Vernon and WR Ty James.

📰: https://t.co/7zlnRM6brw pic.twitter.com/1wtmDzDe7W

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 19, 2024

Wright was the favorite given he has held the job each of the past two seasons. That said, Vernon was going to challenge the 2023 holdover after a down year. Minnesota waived Vernon on Monday morning and there ended the 2024 punting competition.

Vernon appeared in a single preseason game for the Atlanta Falcons during 2022. Vernon had a pair of punts for Minnesota during the first preseason game, and kicked once against the Browns.

Related: Intense Punter Competition Emerges at Minnesota Vikings Training Camp

His 44.33 yard average wasn’t enough to win him the job.

Minnesota Vikings need best version of Ryan Wright

A rookie in 2022, Ryan Wright has served as the Vikings punter each of the past two seasons. He posted a better net yardage per punt as a rookie, despite booting the ball for nearly 50 yards per kick last season. The biggest differentiator between the two seasons was a falloff in his ability to pin back the opposition.

WHAT A PUNT 💣

Ryan Wright's ball went nearly 80 years in the air 🤯

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/Km1jBgpX6I

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 16, 2022

As a rookie Wright posted a 43.8% tally for his punts being downed inside the 20-yard-line. That dropped to a miniscule 28.8% last season, and was combined with an 11.9% touchback total. After generating touchbacks just 1.4% of the time as a rookie, it was certainly a substantial falloff.

Kevin O’Connell is breaking in a new quarterback this season. The Minnesota Vikings defense also leaves plenty to be desired. All facets of the roster will rely on Wright doing his job at a high level. Clearly Minnesota believes he is up to the task.

Related: Does Stephon Gilmore Fix the Minnesota Vikings’ Cornerback Issues?

Wright’s job security received a boost after with Vernon moving on. He will need to show up on a weekly basis to avoid a 2023 season in the year ahead.

Ryan Wright has held the punter position for the Minnesota Vikings for the past two seasons. However, following a disappointing performance last season, the team has brought in free agent punter Seth Vernon. Vernon has spent some time with the Atlanta Falcons and played college ball at Portland State.

Minnesota Vikings punter competition: Ryan Wright vs Seth Vernon

According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, Vikings fans should keep an eye out for a possible change at the punter position this season. Vernon and Wright are fiercely competing in training camp, making the race for the starting spot one to watch.

Ryan Wright and Seth Vernon seem to be in the thick of a punting competition. The Vikings have given them equal reps, and Vernon, who went undrafted in 2023 out of Portland State, certainly has a strong enough leg.

One note: Wright has been the primary holder for kicker Will Reichard throughout the spring and summer, and that’s no small job. Each player dropped in a couple of nice punts Tuesday that parachuted inside the 10.

Alec Lewis – The Athletic

Lewis points out that Wright has also been serving as the ball holder for place kicker Will Reichard, which is no easy task and could earn him some extra points during this training camp competition. However, it’s also noted that Vernon has a very strong leg and might overtake Wright as the starter.

Looks like Seth Vernon and Ryan Wright will be competing all camp to be named the starting punter.

Vernon seemed to have a lot more velocity on his punts today. #skol pic.twitter.com/lH1Wn84pd2

— Leighton Glodek (@LGlodek) July 27, 2024

Related: Another Undrafted Rookie Linebacker is Turning Heads at Vikings Training Camp

Vernon appeared to outdistance Wright with his kicks, but accuracy is crucial. It will be interesting to see which direction the Vikings take at punter, and if the upcoming preseason games play into their final decision.