The Vikings’ New Blake Brandel May Already Be in the Twin Cities
Offensive lineman Blake Brandel can do it all. Very few are capable of playing all five positions at a level that’s at least passable in the NFL.
Every team should have a player like Brandel; not many teams actually have a player like Brandel. It could be borderline unfair for Minnesota to have a pair.
Not too long ago, Vikings OC Wes Phillips spoke about how to replace Brandel. How does a player fill-in for a player who could do five jobs? In short, the team can’t. Not unless the job gets divvied up among several players. The lone exception, per Phillips, can be found in Henry Byrd.
Henry Byrd as a New Blake Brandel in Minnesota
The question centered on how to replace Brandel due to the plan at center; Brandel is going to become the C1, meaning he can’t be a fantastic backup. Is somebody ready to take on that job of being able to jump into any of the five positions?
“Yeah, the short answer is you got multiple guys,” Phillips began, “that have to kind of fill those roles that Blake was able to play.” Not long afterwards, Phillips described Byrd as somebody who is doing a lot of good things: “Henry Byrd’s played some center, played some guard, played some tackle. He’s been a guy who has been with us for a few years now and has continued to progress.”
“Otherwise, it’ll be a little more standard, probably,” Phillips explained.
At 6’5″ and close to 315 pounds, Byrd boasts a nice build. He played his college ball at Princeton, suggesting there’s a brain in his head. So far, his pro career has involved playing a dozen snaps on special teams, but he evidently has been putting in work behind the scenes. Phillips has taken notice.
Mr. Byrd has been on the practice squad for several seasons. Operating at that level of football means looking to enhance the starters. Game week arrives and the practice squad needs to give the main guys a look by mimicking what the upcoming opponent is going to do. Byrd has therefore been moved around a lot over his years in the Twin Cities, doing whatever job is necessary to help his teammates to prepare.
But then there has also been time to refine his game away from the spotlight of Sunday ball. Soak up coaching, perfect technique, experiment at new spots, build up his body, and so on. Henry Byrd has stuck around in Minnesota for the past three years, giving him rare continuity for a true depth player. He has therefore been allowed to improve behind the scenes.
As of the summer of 2026, Byrd is considered unlikely to crack the 53-man roster for the Vikings. However, he may overcome the odds due to his capacity to mirror what Blake Brandel could do before ascending to a starting position.
The Vikings have kept Byrd around for a reason. Maybe that’s due to being a valuable piece of the puzzle on the practice squad. Or, perhaps, there will be a chance to make the leap up to the 53-man roster.
The Vikings’ training camp gets rolling on July 26th. There is therefore less than a month separating the publication of this piece and the return of Vikings football.
