Vikings Coach Reveals that a Key Player in 2024 Isn’t Guaranteed to Start Again in 2025
Safe to say that the Minnesota Vikings have embraced chance along the interior of both their offensive and defensive lines. Most notably, there have been the additions of Ryan Kelly (C), Will Fries (RG), Jonathan Allen (DT), and Javon Hargrave (DT), but more change could be coming.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell spent more than half an hour chatting with the media at the Annual League Meeting. He was directly asked about the 2024 LG1, Blake Brandel, to see if he would once again get the nod within the front five: “I think Blake [Brandel] and [Michael] Jurgens both inside we’d like to see them at a variety of different spots, but I think if we went out and played right now I think that’s the way we would likely look. Long way to go, still some options, opportunities with our four draft picks. And ultimately we’ll see what it looks like.”
Vikings Coach Talks Blake Brandel as the Possible LG1
Keep in mind that Coach O’Connell went on to send along some high praise to Mr. Brandel.
In particular, O’Connell highlighted the beginning of his season: “But I will say, we wanted to make a commitment last year to Blake, and see what it looked like over the course of a whole season. I thought over the first five, six games, when you really took a step back with him playing next to Christian Darrisaw, he played at a pretty darn high level. There were some moments in there where I really thought Blake was taking that next step.”
Not long afterwards, O’Connell explains that there may need to be “some grace” offered to the lineman as he transitioned to playing alongside newcomer Cam Robinson. The final thought, though, is of O’Connell explaining that others are going to “compete with [Brandel] to win that job.”
Step back a bit to unpack some of the things that O’Connell had to say.
For starters, Kevin O’Connell didn’t definitively commit to Brandel as the starter. There’s a suggestion that he’s being looked at as the favorite to jump back into the top spot while nevertheless acknowledging the desire for competition (most notably in the form of soon-to-be sophomore Michael Jurgens, who was a 7th-Round selection in 2024).
Keep in mind, as well, that O’Connell leaves the door ajar to add someone at guard in the draft. In fact, he specifically mentions the amount of draft picks Minnesota has while looping that basic fact into a conversation about needing to see how things play out over the course of the offseason.
The upside is that Brandel is someone whom the coaches genuinely respect and like. He offers tremendous versatility and is obviously a very hard worker.
Last year, Minnesota surprised onlookers — even those close to the team — by giving Blake Brandel a strong contract commitment. Brandel landed a three-year deal that came in at $9,500,000. Modest money, all things considered, but a decent bit more than a lot of folks expected for someone who had hitherto been a versatile backup.
As the offseason progressed, though, it became clear that the coaching staff felt comfortable slotting him into the LG1 spot. Wes Phillips, in particular, wasn’t shy about sending over some praise.
A spot like PFF wasn’t too impressed with the work Brandel put in, giving the lineman a modest 55.2 grade that comes in at 98th among 135 qualifying guards. The same spot suggests he was guilty of committing 11 penalties before then suggesting that he allowed 7 sacks, 7 QB hits, and 41 pressures. So, room for improvement.
Standing at 6’7″ and weighing 315 pounds, Blake Brandel — a tackle who transitioned to guard — offers excellent size to work alongside being in the prime of his career as a 28-year-old lineman with five years of NFL experience. Another season to keep perfecting the left guard position may be precisely what the purple doctor ordered for Mr. Brandel.
During the season, Blake Brandel did an interview over on Vikings Territory. Give it a read if you haven’t already.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
