As the Vikings navigate the new kickoff rule, they are moving forward with running back Ty Chandler as the primary kick returner. That much special teams coordinator Matt Daniels confirmed on Tuesday afternoon at TCO Performance Center, adding that the Vikings also plan to have receiver Brandon Powell back deep.

Asked what makes Chandler the best fit as the primary kick returner, Daniels talked about contact balance and how being able to break tackles will be extremely important with the new kickoff rule. It also helps that Chandler is capable of taking some punishment at the point of attack.

“We want to make sure we’ve got somebody back there who’s a little bit more sturdy who can handle possibly getting hit up top and down low at the same time,” Daniels said. “They also have to be able to attack the coverage team fearlessly. He has that. He’s got a knack for it.”

The assumption as recent as last week was that former kick returner Kene Nwangwu would be filling that role for the Vikings. He had established himself among the best kick returners in the NFL throughout his career, so it was a surprise when the Vikings decided to waive him.

The fact that reserve running back Myles Gaskin proved himself as more versatile than Nwangwu was the deciding factor.

“It was more of a credit to Myles and what he did during the preseason showing himself as really a complete three-down back while also being able to add from a special teams role,” Daniels said. “It was more so what Myles did than what Kene did not do.”

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