Former Vikings Draft Bust Has Clinched a Starting Job
The Minnesota Vikings entered the 2025 offseason with a plan to revamp the offensive line.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said after the last game of the season, a playoff defeat, “There’s no question we’ve got to find a way to be able to give a quarterback, especially with players like Justin (Jefferson), Jordan (Addison), T.J. (Hockenson), we’ve got to find a way to solidify just the interior of the pocket.”
Former Vikings Draft Bust Has Clinched a Starting Job
And they surely took action. Ryan Kelly and Will Fries arrived pretty early in free agency. Later, the Vikings also acquired rookie first-rounder Donovan Jackson to complete the new interior trio.
Garrett Bradbury was cut, and Dalton Risner walked without a new deal. Ed Ingram, meanwhile, was traded to Houston in exchange for a sixth-round draft choice.
After getting benched in Minnesota last season, Ingram is slotted in as a starter by his new employer. The Texans released their unofficial depth chart, and he is listed as the starting right guard. Ingram is joined by veterans David Andrews and Laken Tomlinson, as well as rookie left tackle Aireontae Ersery and right tackle Tytus Howard.
In training camp, it was Howard playing right guard, but the Texans shuffled their unit around this summer, and Ingram ended up with the starting gig. Fans who watched the Minnesota Vikings in the past three campaigns might be a little surprised by that, considering Ingram has shown very little starting-caliber play.
The former second-rounder was Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s third draftee in 2022. He started every game in 2022 and 15 more in 2023, but was benched in Week 11 of the 2024 season. His PFF resume might have some folks concerned for C.J. Stroud:
- 2022: 57.0 (57/77 eligible guards)
- 2023: 59.5 (38/79)
- 2024: 54.0 (67/77)
His strength is the run blocking, but he might not be the guy Texans fans want in charge of protecting the franchise quarterback’s pocket. In both the 2023 and the 2024 offseason, it was speculated that he might have a breakout season, but he just couldn’t pull it off, resulting in him getting benched for Risner.
In 47 preseason snaps over the last month, Ingram was PFF’s third-best offensive guard with at least 40 snaps. Of course, that’s a small sample size, and the competition might not have always consisted of elite players. Still, it’s noteworthy. Improvement simply because of a changed scenery can’t be ruled out.
Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander thinks the line will be better than last year. He wrote in his Texans predictions, “This scheme will benefit this offense more, but there will still be some struggles as rookie Aireontae Ersery is starting at left tackle, and Ed Ingram and Laken Tomlinson are coming off inconsistent seasons. But the line won’t be nearly as bad as it was in 2024, when it seemed liked every drop back was a pressure. The line will give Stroud more time, pick up most stunts and won’t allow free rushers anymore.”
Inconsistent might be a little cautiously worded, considering Ingram was quite frankly a clear weak spot in each of his three seasons with the Vikings. Interestingly, Alexander also envisions Howard playing right guard again at some point this season: “At some point, Howard will move back to guard because either Ed Ingram will struggle and they need to move some pieces around or there will be an injury.”
Cam Robinson, who started in place of Christian Darrisaw for the Vikings last year, is currently a backup and could pick up the slack at tackle.
Ingram is 26 years old, and in Week 1, the Rams’ excellent defensive line will be lined up across from him.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.