Oscar Chapman, Ryan Wright in ‘neck-and-neck’ battle for the Vikings’ punting job

Undrafted rookie punter Oscar Chapman is pushing incumbent Ryan Wright so hard that he might just shove him off the Vikings’ 53-man roster next week.

That’s how special teams coordinator Matt Daniels was painting the competition Wednesday as training camp ended and Friday’s preseason finale at Tennessee neared.

Asked if the competition could go either way, Daniels said, “Definitely” without hesitation and pointed out that Chapman was the holder without incident on all three of kicker Will Reichard’s second-half field goals, including a 54-yarder, in last week’s 20-12 loss to the Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“Right now, it’s a neck-and-neck situation, especially with Will being confident in the operation with Chap being the holder,” Daniels said. “That’s always going to be a big, big [piece in the decision]. So we’ll see how this thing caps off for us in this last preseason game.”

Chapman, a former Australian rules football player who punted at Auburn, has a roster exemption as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program. Wright is heading into his fourth season as the team’s punter but has tested the Vikings’ patience with inconsistency since having a standout rookie season.

The recent release of Brian Asamoah II had no impact on the linebacker position but it did, according to Daniels, create “some big shoes to fill” on special teams. Asamoah had a role on every special teams unit.

Daniels mentioned four rookie linebackers as candidates to fill Asamoah’s key roles: Sixth-round draft pick Kobe King and the undrafted Dorian Mausi, Austin Keys and Chaz Chambliss.

Asamoah, a 2022 third-round draft pick who started no games in three seasons, signed with the Titans and will face the Vikings on Friday.

“It was a tough conversation” after cutting Asamoah, Daniels said. “But we felt really on both sides it was the best decision for his career.”

Safety Harrison Smith was still absent from the team with what coach Kevin O’Connell has called a minor illness. Edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel was present but still not participating because of an undisclosed injury. And a third defensive starter, linebacker Blake Cashman, spent a second straight day watching from the sideline with an unknown injury.

Also still out Wednesday were receiver Jalen Nailor and offensive lineman Henry Byrd. Returning to practice Wednesday were defensive linemen Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyler Batty.