The New Orleans Saints continued to build out their running back room on Tuesday.
The Saints announced they had agreed to a deal with free agent running back Ty Chandler, who spent the past four seasons with the Vikings. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Chandler was originally a 4th round pick of the Vikings in 2022 out of UNC and has spent the past four years with the Vikings. He appeared in 40 regular season games, starting four, while carrying the ball 181 times for 710 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught 30 passes for 212 yards.
The part of Chandler's game that might be the most intriguing for the Saints is on special teams. Chandler has returned 15 kickoffs in his career for 386 yards (25.7 average) and has top-end speed (4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL combine). The Saints, meanwhile, are in some need of a new return ace after trading Rashid Shaheed to the Seahawks midway through last season. From that point it was veteran Dante Pettis handling punt return duties and host of others, most notably Mason Tipton, filtering in on kickoffs. Tipton is still under contract, while Pettis is a free agent.
Regardless, Chandler represents another new face in a suddenly crowded running back room. The Saints' first, big splash in free agency was to sign Louisiana native Travis Etienne to a lucrative, 4-year deal. His presence has created an air of mystery around the long-term outlook for RB Alvin Kamara, though head coach Kellen Moore declined to clarify the situation when he spoke to the media after the start of free agency. The team also has a pair of former draft picks in Devin Neal and Kendre Miller, as well as Audric Estime under contract. Miller is coming back from a major knee injury, while the other two took on starting duties down the stretch of last season due to injury issues.
Chandler is the second former Vikings player to land with the Saints in free agency, with New Orleans previously inking former Minnesota punter Ryan Wright to a 4-year contract.
