Oct 4, 2024; Watford, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw (71) during practice at The Grove. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings lost on Thursday Night Football to the Los Angeles Rams, and that wasn’t even the worst part of the evening.
The club lost Christian Darrisaw to a torn ACL and MCL, the second of two brutal Week 8 injuries for the Vikings in back-to-back seasons. Former quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles last year in Week 8.
But the show will go on without Darrisaw, as Minnesota still sits in handsome position for a playoff berth. These are the post-Darrisaw options for 2024 at left tackle, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most likely to occur).
If general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah believes his team is a true-blue Super Bowl contender, well, the NFL’s trade deadline is eight days away, “convenient” timing to acquire a new left tackle if he deems fit.
These are some options:
Trade Candidates
Free Agents
One caveat for a trade: Minnesota doesn’t have oodles of draft capital to sell.
Listen, Vikings rookie LT Walter Rouse checked in as one of the best OTs in college football last year, according to Pro Football Focus. And it’s not like he attended a rink-a-dink school. He’s an Oklahoma alumnus.
Rouse curiously fell to Round 6 of April’s draft, but there’s a small chance that Minnesota’s coaching staff would give him a look, especially if the guy near the bottom of this list falters.
Brandel owns a 64.9 PFF grade through seven games — at left guard. The veteran lineman, however, has position versatility and, in fact, joined Minnesota as a tackle in 2020.
Interestingly, offensive guard Dalton Risner should return as early as this weekend, possibly formulating this offensive line:
This might be the frontrunner if the decision were up to Vikings fans.
Quessenberry has logged a 68.0 PFF grade so far in 2024 — 34 snaps — and you know what? That’ll work for a Darrisaw contingency plan. He just has to sustain it.
The San Jose State alumnus also filled in admirably last year in a few spots when Brian O’Neill encountered injury. Quessenberry was the primary OT backup plan all spring, summer, and now in autumn, he’s the most likely to fill in for Darrisaw.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.