Final Piece of The Vikings’ OL Puzzle Clicks Into Place
Been holding your breath for a Dalton Risner reunion?
Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips spoke to the Minnesota media on Tuesday. One topic that came up was Blake Brandel, who looks like the Vikings’ top choice to take on the LG1 job in 2024. Phillips is “really excited about Blake” and describes him as “a massive man on the inside.”
The OC then foreshadows what’s to come for Brandel: “It’s been very encouraging so far with him stepping into that starting spot on the left there. And I think it’ll only grow from there. The more experience, the more reps he gets. He’s been a guy that anytime he’s been put in a game, at several positions, has come through for us. And we haven’t forgotten that, and I think he’s earned this opportunity.”
The Brandel update suggests that it may be time to start looking ahead to life after Mr. Risner.
The Vikings’ OL Puzzle and Blake Brandle as the LG1
Andrew Krammer of The Star Tribune largely corroborates what Phillips was saying.
Per Krammer, Brandel is getting work with the 1st-team: “Fifth-year Viking Blake Brandel is the starting left guard. To my understanding, he’s taken every first-team rep through two OTAs so far.”
Brandel’s ascent toward becoming the top option at left guard wasn’t a sure thing. Coming out of college, Brandel was predicted to be a UDFA signing by the NFL’s Lance Zierlein.
Consider what the draft analyst had to say: “Likely tackle-to-guard position switch due to his lack of length and consistency in pass protection. Brandel is a durable blocker who lacks guard mass, but he works on the nuances of his position, which helps his cause. He understands angles and techniques but is an average athlete with below-average core power and play strength. He gives too much ground to bull-rushers, which is a concern no matter which position he plays up front. He doesn’t figure to be a plus run blocker in any scheme. A spot on a practice squad should be his goal for 2020.”
The switch to guard ended up being prophetic. What’s fascinating is that Phillips is insisting that Brandel continues adding size, so one wonders if the o-lineman will be better equipped to confront some of the deficiencies that Zierlein saw in the college version of Brandel.
Since getting scooped up in the 6th Round of the 2020 NFL Draft — 203rd overall — Blake Brandel has been valuable depth along the offensive line. The man has picked up snaps at left tackle, right guard, and even as a tight end.
Notably, he doesn’t have any NFL experience at left guard.
Across his 39 career NFL games, Brandel has 5 starts. All 5 of those starts have arrived over these past two seasons, coinciding perfectly with the arrival of Kevin O’Connell. The suggestion is twofold: Brandel has continued improving and the new coaching staff really likes the versatile lineman.
Obviously, there has been a ton of attention being given toward the quarterback battle in Minnesota. Veteran free agent addition Sam Darnold is looking to hold off the highly-drafted J.J. McCarthy.
Surrounding that battle is who’s going to be in charge of protecting the quarterback. There’s the formidable tackle tandem — LT Christian Darrisaw and RT Brian O’Neill — and then the improving pair along the interior o-line — C Garrett Bradbury and RG Ed Ingram. The final piece of the puzzle is (was?) at left guard, and Blake Brandel is the man who is being given the chance to fill it.
During the offseason, Brandel was re-signed for three seasons at a total of $9.5 million. His cap charge in 2024 comes in below $2 million.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.