Who Will Stop Minnesota’s Interior O-Line Revolving Door?
Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
One key area for the Minnesota Vikings this training camp will be the interior offensive line. Specifically, the two guard spots. Right now, it’s an open competition between three players – Ed Ingram, Blake Brandel, and Dalton Risner. Whoever wins will need to stabilize the position for the first time in seemingly forever.
Ever since Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson retired, Vikings guards have been a revolving door of players, resulting in subpar play and underwhelming results. Last year, despite the weakness at guard, Minnesota’s offensive line ranked tenth according to Pro Football Focus, earning a 77.6 grade largely due to two of the best tackles in the league in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill.
Can the Vikings trust Ingram, Brandel, or Risner to step up this season? If so, they can offer heightened confidence as the team transitions from veteran Kirk Cousins to a less certain quarterback tandem of Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy?
The old NFL adage goes – defense wins championships, which is only half-right. Games are won and lost on both sides of the ball, in the trenches. In this quarterback-centric era of the NFL, the primary driver to success has become to either protect or stress the quarterback. The value of offensive lines and players who can apply defensive pressure has never been more prevalent.
It also puts a premium on continuity for any offensive line. The Vikings used 11 different offensive line combinations throughout last year, mostly due to injuries. That turnover created inconsistent quarterback protection, resulting in 47 sacks allowed which was tied for 10th-worst in the league.
Despite solid PFF grades last year and a 12th overall ranking by the outlet, the advanced analytics paint a more alarming picture, and the culprit is the interior linemen. As noted with having options in Ingram, Brandel, and Risner – the team will need at least two of them to have strong training camps. Hopefully, the competition within this group should only strengthen the odds of challenging each other to perform better.
As a point of reference, a PPF player grade of 68.0 or higher would be in the top 40 for offensive linemen at their position, which can be viewed as being an average player.
Let’s start with Ingram who was drafted in the second round in 2022. That part is important, because it’s been a bigger factor in his playing time than his on-field performance. Ingram has started and played in 32 of a possible 34 games over his first two seasons, so at least he has the durability has been a feather in his cap.
However, his 59.5 overall PFF grade in 2023 finished 62nd out of 85 qualifying players with 951 snaps or more. For reference, a grade of 68.0 or higher puts an offensive lineman at around the top-40, or average for their position.
To demonstrate his poor play, Ingram gave up 15 QB hits, which was the most in the league, and 42 QB pressures, which was 13th-worst. It’s actually a small improvement from his rookie season, when he was the ninth-worst-rated offensive lineman at 57.1 overall PFF grade. That includes giving up 11 sacks (second-worst) and surrendering 58 QB pressures, which was the worst. Improvement, yes, but insignificant.
Ingram struggles to engage defenders consistently due to disconnected cohesion between his hands and footwork. He also lacks awareness resulting in adjusting to reads late particularly against stunts. Year 3 is typically the season where players figure it out to establish that they belong in the league, but Ingram will need a strong training camp or could be replaced as a starter before the regular season starts. The Vikings have shown undeniable faith in him, it is time he brings extra focus to repay that faith in 2024.
Brandel is unproven, as he has only started 5 games in three seasons as a sixth-round pick from Oregon State, but is already a viable candidate to replace Ingram, while also in competition to be the starting left guard.
The Vikings saw Brandel as a potential starter when they signed him to a three-year, $9.5 million contract this past offseason, a big financial commitment despite his limited playing time. Brandel’s ability to play both guard spots (along with left tackle) gives Minnesota versatility and depth to an offensive line lacking both.
Brandel has averaged a career PFF grade of 54.6, but the eye test shows he takes good angles with proficient technique and effort. Admittedly, he is still a long shot to be a starter at either guard spot, but if he establishes consistency with his execution, it could be enough to become a swing lineman in certain situations. Perhaps even some spot starts. Many are high on Brandel including those within TCO Performance Center, but he’ll need to make some major leaps during training camp to become a viable starter.
This takes us to Risner, the most established lineman of this group. Right now, he’s the favorite to be the Week 1 starter at left guard. Risner was signed early in the 2023 season and started Minnesota’s final 11 games after Ezra Cleveland was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Vikings re-signed Risner on a one-year deal, where he offers a veteran presence. And as a bonus: a veteran presence that didn’t allow a sack last season. His 57.1 PFF grade leaves more to be desired, but Risner is a much stronger pass-blocker than run-blocker, due to his strong hands and being able to anchor against a power surge. He keeps quarterbacks upright more often than not.
Entering his seventh season gives him an edge to earn a starting job. Still, if younger players like Ingram and Brandel can show consistency and execute strides in their development, Risner could follow a similar fate as Cleveland did last season.
The Vikings used the offseason to address other needs on defense, leading them to look internally for a solution to their continued revolving door with both guard positions. Their organizational strategy makes 2024 a year to develop players such as Ingram and Brandel, but don’t hold your breath. Despite the offensive line finishing the 2023 season as a top-10 unit in pass and run-blocking grades, the heavy lifting is done by the two outside tackle pillars. Those two will need to show much more to raise the level of the line.
Training camp will be a defining moment for these three players, and the Vikings are anticipating that competition will bring out the best in each of them. It’ll be crucial for someone to step up, as they’ll need to literally guard the most important position on the field, ensuring that the only pains their quarterbacks experience this season are growing pains.
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