Vikings Large Lad Gets a Head Coach Shout Out for Attacking “Bingo Card”
Spend some time around TCO Performance Center and it won’t take too long before hearing about the merit of versatility. Backup offensive lineman Blake Brandel is unusually versatile.
The Vikings large lad yet again got tossed into the game to function as an injury fill-in. Being capable of playing all five spots along the offensive line makes him particularly valuable. Accordingly, head coach Kevin O’Connell was sure to send along some praise in the press conference following the Sunday Night Football victory.
Vikings Large Lad Blake Brandel in at RT
Start off with Coach O’Connell.
He ventured into some of the players who were hurt, clarifying who needed to get replaced. The conversation shifted to Brandel jumping into Brian O’Neill’s spot: “Blake stepped in there at the end, at right tackle. So he’s on his way to completing the bingo card.” O’Connell, quite evidently, understands that his veteran backup has been doing plenty of heavy lifting as it relates to being capable of jumping into any opening among the front five.
The 28-year-old lineman has done it all since being chosen at No. 203 within the 2020 NFL Draft.
Within his career, Mr. Brandel has played 295 snaps at left tackle. There has then been 1,258 snaps at left guard alongside 363 snaps at center. He has soaked up 164 snaps at right guard. Goodness, there has even been some reps at tight end, getting 66 snaps as an extra o-lineman.
All that remained to finish off the positions up front was jumping into the right tackle spot (an odd reality given that he entered the NFL as a backup offensive tackle).
Last week, Brandel had 3 snaps at right tackle. He tossed on 11 snaps on offense in Week 15, some of which arrived while filling in for Brian O’Neill.
The career bingo card has now reached completion. Someday, Brandel can tell his grand kids that he played left tackle, left guard, center, right guard, right tackle, and tight end in the NFL. Not too shabby.
Mr. Brandel may not get another shot to be a full-time starter; he was the LG1 in 2024 before getting replaced by Donovan Jackson in 2025. But, to be sure, his ability to function as a five-in-one player will ensure that he continues getting paid in the NFL.
Going forward, Blake Brandel looks like an extension candidate.
He’s currently working through three-year agreement that sits at $9.5 million in total compensation. The final year arrives in 2026 — next season — and sees Brandel coming in at $4,166,668 on the cap. Not a huge amount, but enough to feel the squeeze within the context of a snug budget. Cutting him would mean regaining $3.5 million.
Even better, extending the do-it-all backup lineman could free up $1.748 million. Every little bit counts, especially when it comes to keeping an extremely valuable backup for a touch longer. Maybe the best course of action is to marry the two outcomes — saving cap space while retaining the team’s ever-important backup lineman — within the same action: an extension.
Blake Brandel, 28, stands at 6’6″ and weighs 315 pounds. He has proven to be invaluable depth.
