Vikings Finally Pause Their Inactivity and Make a Move
Things have been awfully quiet in Minnesota Vikings headquarters. Sure, Kyler Murray joined the squad, but outside of cornerback James Pierre, that’s it with the new Vikings. On Tuesday, the franchise finally made another move, trying to pilfer a blocker from the AFC.
Bills tackle Ryan Van Demark could be on his way to the Twin Cities.
Tom Pelissero noted on social media: “RFA action! The Vikings have signed Bills RFA T Ryan Van Demark to an offer sheet, sources tell me and Ian Rapoport.”
Van Demark is a restricted free agent, meaning his rights are still with the Buffalo Bills. The Bills tendered him and now have the chance to match the deal to retain him.
League reporter Aaron Wilson explained, “Bills restricted free agent offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark (6-6, 307) signs one year fully gtd offer sheet with #Vikings per a league source. Buffalo has five days to match. Tendered at $3.52 million.”
Minnesota would get its backup tackle for the cost of $4.2 million, per the update from Wilson. Last season, that spot gave the operation all kinds of problems, as both Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill missed time with injuries and reserve Justin Skule was a significant downgrade.
The question now is whether the Bills will open their checkbook and pay him that salary.
Joe Buscaglia, Bills reporter of The Athletic, mentioned, “The Bills currently have two other reserve OTs that was on the 53-man roster last year in Tylan Grable & Chase Lundt, both of whom are signed through next year at least (Lundt through 2028), so this will be a fascinating decision. Bills GM Brandon Beane has five days to decide.”
That depth would ease the pain of losing him and increase the chances that the Vikes can welcome him at TCO Performance Center. Unlike — for example — a second-round tender, the Bills will not receive any compensation for his departure. Had they used such a more expensive second-round tender, they would have gotten a second-rounder from the Vikings. In this case, however, the Vikings are safe.
Van Demark, 27 (will turn 28 on Sunday), attended UConn and went undrafted in 2022. Coming out, the Colts signed him as an undrafted rookie but he was waived during final roster cuts. That’s when the Bills added him to their practice squad and he has been with the team ever since.
The tackle has played in 43 career games with 6 starts (4 in 2025). He has 557 offensive snaps under his belt.
Last season, Van Demark earned a strong PFF grade of 74.4, ranking him 25th out of 89 eligible tackles, playing both left and right tackle. That versatility is important for a swing backup tackle, as he’s generally the first lineman off the bench on either side.
Skule is still a free agent. The Vikings currently have only one backup tackle in 2024 sixth-rounder Walter Rouse, while versatile backup Blake Brandel has experience at tackle. He is needed as an interior alternate, perhaps being the next man up at both guard spots and center.
The upcoming days will reveal whether the Vikings will get Van Demark or if a pivot is needed and the club has to focus on other tackle options.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.