Right Now, Ed Ingram is Stepping into a Surprising New Reality
Few, if any, Vikings fans mourned the end of the Ed Ingram era in the Twin Cities.
Ingram was a college left guard before becoming an NFL right guard. The flip to the other side of the line occurred after the Vikings scooped up the LSU alumnus from the 2nd Round of the 2022 NFL Draft, which has gone down as a colossal failure in Minnesota. Basically everyone believed that Ingram was careening toward a poor career, but he could be undergoing a transformation in Houston.
Ed Ingram Playing Sturdy Football in Houston
On a team level, the Texans aren’t particularly pleased. Starting 0-3 is a surefire way to undermine a season before it can really begin. Perhaps there’s little solace, then, in what’s being accomplished from their young offensive lineman.
The effort in Week 2 — Ed Ingram was injured for Week 1 — gave way to some praise on social media. One person called Ingram “impressive” before declaring, “Potential elite run blocker, with room to grow in the pass blocking department.” Another wrote, “Too small of a sample size to have a real judgement yet but the Texans may have found a hidden gem for their OL.” The sturdy grades from PFF were being leaned on to corroborate the assessment.
Keep in mind, folks, that many Vikings fans were doing cartwheels when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pried away a 6th for the guard. Optimism had vanished for the lineman, replaced by a well-worn path within the fans’ collective mind about doom-and-gloom in the trenches.
There is, however, some reason to believe that he’s playing well for the Texans.
As things stand, Ed Ingram is the 3rd-best guard on PFF. His 75.6 grade is the best he has offered and it isn’t particularly close. Pushing the grade skyward is a very impressive 79.5 grade as a run blocker. The 59.8 grade for pass blocking does need to be addressed. At the very least, though, Ingram has been giving his new team very strong play in one facet of football while he continues ironing out the issues when it comes to ceding ground within the aerial attack.
Standing at 6’3″ and weighing 307 pounds, Ed Ingram is well built to be an NFL guard. He’s still only 26 and has a pile of starting experience already. Can the good times keep rolling for Ingram in Houston?
Meanwhile, Minnesota is working through the ups and downs of a totally rebuilt interior offensive line.
The new trio cost a pretty penny. So far, the results have been mixed, at best. Minnesota’s quarterbacks have been sacked a collective 12 times across the opening three games. Some of that is due to each passer — J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz — getting themselves into trouble instead of pass blocking that wasn’t passable.
Regardless, the front five is going to look to improve.
The Vikings recently re-welcomed Christian Darrisaw back onto the field. The downside is that starting center Ryan Kelly wasn’t available in Week 3 due to a concussion. The possibility exists, however, that the desired five will all be available for Week 4 in Ireland. If so, then Wentz will get to work with Kelly yet again since the pair were teammates with the Colts in 2021.
Regardless of what happens with the Vikings, Ed Ingram will be looking to continue his strong play. His NFL-worst Texans will be hosting the NFL-worst Titans in Week 3, meaning a tough battle with Jeffery Simmons awaits. Someone, presumably, is going to win that game; Ingram will be looking to ensure it’s his side.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
