Is Blake Brandel Grandfathered In?
The Minnesota Vikings overhauled their offensive and defensive lines this offseason. Well, they did so on the interior, at least. Both sides of the ball already had star talents on the edges.
Is Blake Brandel Grandfathered In?
The offensive line needed guard help and got that, along with some additional help from Will Fries and Ryan Kelly. There’s just one spot that still seems to be questionable.
The Vikings have tried to make things work with Ed Ingram and Dalton Risner for the past couple of seasons. The former is a failed draft pick that was finally shipped out, and shockingly, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not earn any sort of compensation for him. The latter is a well-regarded veteran who showed serious flaws in the run-blocking game.
Fries comes in and solves every issue that Risner and Ingram have presented of late. What he didn’t bring with him was a clone. That means, at least for now, Blake Brandel remains a starting guard. The former left tackle moved inside last year, and the results were questionable. A strong start turned into an otherwise lackluster showing.
It remains to be seen if the Vikings are really content with handing Brandel a starting role. It seems somewhat surprising that so much time and money would be invested into revamping the offensive line, only to stop one position short. Internally, Walter Rouse, the 2024 draft pick, could try unseating Brandel.
Similar to Brandel, Rouse was drafted as a tackle. The former sixth-round pick checks in at 6’6” and 313 pounds. He could play next to Christian Darrisaw or Brian O’Neill while looking to provide consistency at the guard position.
The NFL Draft is also rich in guard depth this season, and that may be an opportunity for the Vikings to find someone in the middle rounds they trust enough to push for a starting role. With the 24th overall pick, there may be a guard too good to pass up or a couple worthy of accumulating picks and trading back just a bit.
Currently, it looks like Brandel is penciled into the starting spot. Considering how much work the Vikings did on the interiors this season, though, it would be unwise to assume that Brandel will just be given the role without any competition.
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Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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