The Vikings Have an Odd Cut Candidate
The Minnesota Vikings entered the offseason with enormous cap space, but also had a roster with many holes to fill. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has once again done a sweet job in free agency to address those issues.
The Vikings Have an Odd Cut Candidate
Fans have gotten excited about the upgrades along both lines. Former Pro Bowlers Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen reinforce an underwhelming interior defensive line.
Their offensive counterparts have also been swapped out. Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram are off the team. The third interior blocker from last year, Blake Brandel, could be next, says Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox.
He named the best cut candidate for each team, and last year’s starting left guard was the Vikings’ choice.
Knox wrote: “Guard Blake Brandel was a 17-game starter for Minnesota last season after spending his first year on the practice squad and three as a depth player. However, his time as a starter may already be over. The Vikings acquired Will Fries in free agency before drafting Donovan Jackson in Round 1. This likely pushes Brandel back into a depth role, and the Vikings could save $1.6 million by releasing him.”
That many changes on the offensive line are a new phenomenon in the Twin Cities. The Vikings have trotted out subpar blocking units for way too long to expect major changes. But the club didn’t stop after the first or even the second big investment. Instead, three high-caliber players arrived this offseason.
The first acquisition was center Ryan Kelly. A veteran in the league, Kelly came over from the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent his entire career. He went to four Pro Bowls, and despite being past his prime, he is still a solid center, and likely a significant upgrade over the axed Bradbury.
He has already fought one battle for the Vikings when he recruited former teammate Will Fries to join him in Minnesota. The right guard had an excellent start to the 2024 campaign until an injury prematurely ended his season a few games in. Regardless, the Vikes felt good about giving him a five-year deal, and he will once again line up right next to Kelly.
Finally, the overhaul was completed when Donovan Jackson arrived in the first round of April’s draft. Ohio State’s left guard has the talent to quickly challenge Brandel for the starting gig.
Bradel started all 17 games for the Vikings last year. He received a nice three-year contract extension ahead of free agency and was handed the starting role over Dalton Risner. Early in the season, he played quite well, but as the season went on, his play visibly declined. Some see a correlation to Christian Darrisaw’s injury.
A couple of months ago, Kevin O’Connell was asked about Brandel’s play in 2024: “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 fix, six games, when you really took a step back with him playing next to Christian Darrisaw, he played a really darn high level.”
He added that Brandel deserved some grace, but that’s not how the NFL works. Once a better option was available, the Vikings pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Cutting Brandel doesn’t achieve much except for the cap savings of $1.6 million. However, having depth on the offensive line is important, and Brandel has experience at both tackle and guard. While he might not be a high-end starter, he is a solid backup, and cutting such an asset to save a little money would be foolish and just open another need.
The franchise has some other depth options at tackle, but the backup guard job is pretty much only Brandel unless last year’s seventh-rounder Michael Jurgens or practice squad veteran Henry Byrd made some huge strides.
Brandel has played in 56 games with the Vikings, earning 22 starts. He is 28 years old and not expensive enough to land on the chopping block anytime soon.
Furthermore, he undoubtedly will compete with Jackson to try to save his starting spot.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.