The Vikings’ 3 Most Important Backup Players
Too often, football gets boiled down to just the stars. One could even constrain the conversation to just the starting lineup, a perspective that doesn’t sufficiently weigh the importance of depth.
As a humble corrective to that issue, consider a piece about the Vikings’ 3 most important backup players. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah quipped in the offseason that his roster building philosophy is akin to Noah’s ark. The point, as long as I’m following the metaphor correctly, is that the GM’s desire is to be two-deep across the roster (two animals of each kind on the boat). Consider a trio of players who look to have vital roles as backups, helping to fulfill Adofo-Mensah’s goal.
The Vikings’ 3 Most Important Backups
Player #1 – Jordan Mason, Running Back
The 26-year-old runner is coming off a breakout season for the 49ers. Can he replicate his efficiency in the Twin Cities?
Basically any running back looks good when Kyle Shanahan is calling the shots; the same hasn’t always been true for Kevin O’Connell’s runners.
Last year, Jordan Mason turned a career-high 153 carries into a career-high 789 rushing yards. The 3 rushing touchdowns matched the number from the year before, thus representing a tie for his career high. What’s so encouraging is that he averaged 5.2 yards per carry and even showed how talented he is in Week 2 against the Vikings.
Where he falls a bit short, perhaps, is in the passing game. He had just 14 targets. Those opportunities turned into a modest 11 catches for 91 scoreless yards. The thinking, then, is that Mr. Mason could soak up somewhere around 150-200 carries as one of the main runners while Aaron Jones does a bit less running but quite a bit of catching.
Could be a match made in football heaven, folks.
Player #2 – Blake Brandel, Offensive Lineman
Had to sting a little seeing Donovan Jackson get scooped up at No. 24. Even worse is that Kevin O’Connell has been outspoken about the team’s high expectations for the rookie left guard.
All of the sudden, Brandel has been demoted.
Like a utility player in baseball, Blake Brandel can do a bit of everything. He can literally step into any of the o-line’s five positions. Even more fascinating is that he has a bit of experience working as a jumbo tight end. Yes, that sometimes gets referred to as simply being a sixth lineman, but let’s not forget that he ran a route once (Mr. Brandel talked about it in his VT interview).
Paying him medium money isn’t ideal given that he’s no longer a starter. Nevertheless, there’s great comfort in having such a versatile player on the roster. On game day, Brandel can basically play five or six different positions, a rare quality even for a Vikings team that covets versatility.
Player #3 – Dallas Turner, Edge Rusher
A sophomore jump, not a sophomore slump. That’s what the Minnesota Vikings’ coaching staff is hoping for from Dallas Turner.
In the NBA, there’s no such thing as too many 3-point shooters. In the MLB, it’s pitching. The NHL is a sport where there can’t be too many goal scorers. What about the NFL? A few different positions and skill sets come to mind, but pass rushing is surely in the mix as something where there’s no such thing as having too much.
As a rookie, Turner didn’t get a single start within his sixteen games. He picked up 300 snaps, coming behind all of Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Patrick Jones II, and Jihad Ward. The key detail to remember is simply that Minnesota has moved on from a pair of those veterans – Jones and Ward – without making any effort to replace them apart from UDFA signings.
Dallas Turner is therefore the unquestioned EDGE3 moving into 2025. Building off of his 3-sack season will be a vital part of the Vikings taking the next step. Seeing the No. 17 pick flirt with 10 sacks while (more importantly) consistently making the QB skittish in the pocket will go a long way toward Minnesota playing winning football.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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