The Cam Robinson Trade Shows the Vikings Are Playing For Keeps
Credit: Corey Perrine via Imagn Images
After a charmed Minnesota Vikings squad unexpectedly went 5-0 to start the season, fans got a couple of harsh reminders that wait… this team wasn’t supposed to be here. Not only did the Vikings fail to win a measuring stick game against the Detroit Lions, they lost both a game to the Los Angeles Rams and star left tackle Christian Darrisaw last Thursday.
It’d be easy enough to roll the dice with backup David Quessenberry and see what happens. After all, no one thought the Wild were going to be there. If the Vikings ended up getting bounced in the Wild Card round, or even collapsed to miss the playoffs, the excuse is built-in. Hey, it’s a transitional year and we lost a foundational player.
Nope, there’s none of that going on in Minnesota. The Vikings showed that they’re playing for keeps this season making a trade to obtain tackle Cam Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars. There’s no doubt about it: they’re going all-in on their fast start.
Vikings acquiring OT Cam Robinson in trade with Jaguars. (via @Rapsheet + @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/eFrfSrdEOt
— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2024
Robinson, a 29-year-old pending free agent, is an ideal short-term fix for an offensive line that lost their best pass-protector in Darrisaw. The newest Viking has allowed just four sacks on the season, and zero in three full games since Week 3. Pro Football Focus gives him a pass-blocking grade of 72.2, which ranks 35th of 78 tackles in the NFL this season, which is a bit of a down season. His previous three seasons saw him earn grades of 78.8, 74.8, and 76.6.
But even if Robinson doesn’t rebound to his previous form, the 6-foot-6 tackle represents a distinct upgrade over Quessenberry’s seasons as a pass-blocker. Last year saw Quessenberry earn a respectable 68.2 grade, but his three seasons prior saw him settle in the 61-62 range. Maybe Minnesota could’ve made it work, but clearly, they’re better off for having acquired Robinson.
Especially for that price. The Vikings, at worst, are giving up a 2026 fourth-round pick. If Robinson doesn’t meet certain playing time thresholds, the deal instead becomes a swap of a Vikings fifth-round pick for a Jags seventh. Presumably, those conditions are insurance against a Week 7 concussion. A fourth-round pick isn’t nothing, of course, but there are ways to get that draft capital back in the next year-and-a-half.
Before we knew Minnesota was willing to get in on the trade market, we thought Sam Darnold would be in line for a setback after Darrisaw’s injury. Now? There’s a chance he builds on an already-good season and becomes great.
The Vikings are about to get T.J. Hockenson back, adding a middle-of-the-field weapon for Darnold to target and either divert attention from Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, or exploit it. Darnold will get to stretch the field with his tight ends in ways he hasn’t been able to do before. Since 2022, Hockenson is tied for 13th among tight ends with 50-plus targets with an Average Depth of Target of 7.7 yards. Over that same period, Josh Oliver is tied for 39th (5.7 ADOT) and Johnny Mundt is dead-last (3.7 ADOT).
Now instead of going one step forward and one back, Darnold gets to have his weapons and some crucial tenths-of-a-second to enable him to find them. If the Vikings were committed to keep going to the well of taking deep shots down the field, they needed to address the pass protection. Doing so shows that they’re for real this season, and that they’re far from ready to settle for a “transitional year.”
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