Kevin O’Connell Confirms Player’s Position Change
The Minnesota Vikings lost some veteran talent this offseason, including Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, whom they cut. Harrison Smith is still weighing retirement, while Ryan Kelly announced his.
For none of those players was a replacement hired in free agency. The Vikings seemingly plan to use in-house promotions or the draft to find long-term successors. Of course, free agency could still be an option throughout the remainder of the offseason.
At center, to replace Kelly, backup blocker Blake Brandel appears to be a strong candidate. At the annual league meeting, Kevin O’Connell was asked about the center position and he confirmed Brandel’s move to center this offseason.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic noted on social media, “Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell mentioned Blake Brandel working at the center position this offseason.”
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote in an article, “O’Connell said the Vikings plan to make center the permanent position for longtime backup Blake Brandel, making him the early front-runner for the job that was vacated by Ryan Kelly’s retirement.”
Brandel has been a versatile offensive line piece for the Vikings, working as an offensive tackle early in his career, followed by some time at guard and since he was the emergency replacement last year, also at center.
In 2025, Brandel entered the season as the backup offensive guard, the likely replacement for both Will Fries and Donovan Jackson. The latter missed some time and Brandel was inserted into the lineup. After disaster struck in Week 4 and both centers, Kelly and backup Michael Jurgens, suffered injuries in Dublin, the Vikes turned to their experienced veteran to take over the snapping duties in the following week.
At that time, Brandel had zero center reps in games on his resume. At least he took some obligatory snaps there in practice, as all backup linemen need some sort of versatility.
Throughout the year, Brandel logged 363 center reps, which is roughly a third of a season — Weeks 5 through 11. Though he struggled with the snapping aspect, he provided solid play in the middle of the line.
As free agents were quite expensive in this year’s free agency, Brandel makes sense as an option rather than throwing the bag at an underwhelming center. Jurgens is the obvious competitor. He entered the league two years ago as a center out of Wake Forest and was the primary backup last year.
The draft could also give the Vikings a shot at another reinforcement, with the third round being viewed as the sweet spot for center help and the franchise has two picks in that round.
Brandel has shown remarkable versatility over the years, moving around for years to find work wherever he’s needed. He has played 295 snaps at left tackle, mostly in 2022 as Christian Darrisaw’s replacement. At left guard, he spent the entire 2024 season and some in 2025, combining for a total of 1,332 plays.
At right guard, Brandel has played 164 snaps, almost exclusively in 2023 and another 76 reps at right tackle last year. With the added 363 center snaps, Brandel has completed the offensive line bingo. Early in his career, during the Mike Zimmer days, he also logged some time at tight end in packages with extra offensive linemen.
Flexible backup blockers are crucial for a functioning operation, as the 53-man roster spots are limited and so are the gameday rosters. Most teams have only three available backups on game days, and those need to be able to step in at different positions in case of an emergency.
Brandel, 29, might not be a star at any of the five positions, but his ability to play all of them has made him a valuable puzzle piece over the years. The former 6th-rounder has been a significant asset for the Minnesota Vikings and he might once again step into the spotlight in the upcoming season.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.