Vikings Found a “Foundational Piece” In Free Agency
The Minnesota Vikings entered free agency with a bunch of holes to fill but also had the funds to hire new players. Among those newcomers are former Colts blockers Will Fries and Ryan Kelly. The latter is in the final years of his career at the age of 31, but Fries could be a long-term answer for the purple team at the much-maligned guard spot.
Vikings Found a “Foundational Piece” In Free Agency
He signed a five-year deal worth $87.72 million, a massive deal for a guard. However, the man is worth it, thinks PFF’s Mason Cameron, who listed the lineman as his favorite signing for the Vikings.
Cameron noted, “While it’s understandable to be skeptical of this massive contract, the 26-year-old guard is entering his prime. He left off as one of the best guards in football before going down in Week 5, earning an 86.9 PFF grade that ranked ninth among all offensive linemen to start the year. If he can return to form, the Vikings will have a foundational piece to protect young quarterback J.J. McCarthy for years to come.”
Indeed, Fries signed a big deal. He ranks ninth among NFL guards in average annual salary, and it’s also a little risky to hand him that kind of deal after a small sample size of good play.
Still, as Cameron mentioned, he was fantastic early last season before a broken tibia ended his season in Week 5.
The Vikings have had problems along their offensive line for years, especially at the guard spots, which have been quite the disaster for the better part of the last decade. Just last year, the club started Ed Ingram and Dalton Risner at right guard. Ingram handled that position in the previous two seasons, too. Oli Udoh, Dakota Dozier, and Dru Samia are some more former Vikings right guards in the 2020s.
Fries was hired to finally fix that issue. He is an outstanding run blocker, and his pass protection will give first-year starter J.J. McCarthy some more confidence. At 26, it’s fair to assume Fries has a ton of football left, and he could, to quote Cameron, become the “foundational piece” the Vikings hope for.
The offensive line is pretty much set at this point unless there’s another body added at left guard. Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw will be the offensive tackles. Due to Darrisaw’s uncertain recovery timeline, the Vikings have hired swing tackle Justin Skule from the Buccaneers.
At center, of course, Kelly will replace ousted veteran Garrett Bradbury. His former and future teammate Fries will take on defensive tackles on his right side. Blake Brandel enters another year as the starter unless GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signs another guard or pulls the trigger early in the draft.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt