Vikings OL Depth Chart Comes to Light
The offensive line has been a thorn in Skol Nation’s side for far too long. This offseason, the front office said “enough” and addressed the unit more aggressively than ever before. In free agency, Colts blockers Will Fries and Ryan Kelly signed with the franchise, and in the draft, the Vikings acquired national champion Donovan Jackson in the first round.
Vikings OL Depth Chart Comes to Light
Kevin O’Connell’s offense should feature a pair of strong tackles in Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw, and an interior combination of those three newcomers. That’s the plan once those five are healthy.
The Vikings are still easing in two guys after lengthy absences. Will Fries suffered a fractured tibia in Week 5 of last season, and Christian Darrisaw’s campaign ended a few weeks later when he tore his ACL against the Los Angeles Rams.
Both have avoided a stint on the Physically Unable to Perform list, but they are not ready quite yet for a full workload in training camp. Vikings.com’s Craig Peters wrote Wednesday, “Head Coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned Tuesday that offensive linemen Christian Darrisaw and Will Fries would open camp without an injury designation and be able to participate in on-field activities.”
“Although Darrisaw (at left tackle) and Fries (at right guard) didn’t line up in team periods, there were a few snaps where they joined the offensive line with rookie Donovan Jackson at left guard, veteran signee Ryan Kelly at center and Brian O’Neill at right tackle.”
Of course, once they are healthy, the Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle and the pricey free-agent addition will play at their respective spots, but until they are, alternates are needed. The frontrunners for those gigs are Blake Brandel at guard and Justin Skule at tackle.
“Veteran newcomer Justin Skule lined up at left tackle in place of Darrisaw, and Blake Brandel, who started at left guard in 2024, lined up at right guard with the first group during team drills,” Peters revealed.
Skule was signed in free agency to take Darrisaw’s spot if needed. He has been a backup swing tackle for years and has collected the experience of 17 starts and 66 total appearances. The 2019 6th-rounder has played for the 49ers and Buccaneers, and he started five games last season.
Potential competitors for him in the next weeks are the sophomore Walter Rouse or guard replacement Blake Brandel. The latter was moved to guard a couple of years ago, but was a backup tackle before and could easily be moved over. Until that is the case, however, he will sub in for Fries at right guard.
Brandel, a 2020 6th-rounder, has started 22 games (56 appearances). He started all 17 games at left guard last season. His play was inconsistent in his debut season as a starter, which was not enough to secure his job.
It seems as if Jackson has already taken over at left guard, and Brandel will be the top guard reserve, although there could be a real competition for that lone slot once Fries fully returns. If Jackson remains with the first-team offense by that point, he can safely be assumed to start in Week 1.
Regardless, the Vikings have come a long way if the backups are players with starting experience and the five starters are either players on expensive contracts, former Pro Bowlers, or high draft picks. The time of assembling an offensive line by acquiring cheap free agents might be over in the Twin Cities.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.