Vikings Trench Depth Could Be a 2025 Game-Changer
For those old enough to remember from 1995 until 2000, the Vikings had one thing that many envied. They had some depth on their offensive and defensive lines. Similar to today’s team, they had two elite tackles in Todd Steussie and Korey Stringer.
The Minnesota Vikings boast impressive depth on both the offensive and defensive lines, a strength that could prove pivotal in the team’s 2025 NFL season.
At left guard was All-Pro and perennial Pro-bowler Randal McDaniel, with a developing guard in David Dixon and an undersized center in Jeff Christy. They were a huge reason that those teams had the success they did for many years. They only got better over the years, with 1998 and 1999 being their best. What was even better is that players like Corey Withrow, Corbin Lacina, Matt Birk, Chris Liwienski, and Brad Badger could step in and not miss a beat for short stints.
Some even became eventual starters like Birk, who was a great center and went to Pro-Bowls, and Badger, who didn’t exactly make fans too happy when he had to play left tackle after Steussie moved on. The “we went all in” salary cap eventually dwindled the supplies in the cupboard, and it seems like the team has struggled even to have an elite starting offensive line since then, much less strong depth.
In 2006, “The Minnesota Moving Company” was born, achieving better results with the addition of All-Pro Adrian Peterson, which made them look even better. However, they stumbled a bit until 2009, when they solidified their run at the Super Bowl.
The defensive side of the ball also had a great amount of depth. When John Randle, Jerry Ball, Derrick Alexander, Duane Clemons, and Fernando Smith needed a breather, the team inserted Tony Williams, Stalin Colinet, Jason Fiske, Martin Harrison, and even a re-signed Chris Doleman.
Although many of the stars were nearing the end of their careers, they still had a pretty good defense up front. Again, some of these players went on to become starters as the salary cap and free agency took away household names. The defensive front experienced a precipitous decline in sacks and run-stopping until 2003, when “The Williams Wall” arrived on the scene. This was followed by another surge when Jared Allen joined the team in 2008.
After Kevin Williams and Jared Allen left, the defensive line didn’t exactly fall apart with Everson Griffen, Brian Robison, Linval Joseph, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Danielle Hunter making their marks along the way. This year looks to be different for both sides of the ball.
The Vikings’ Offensive Line Looks Meaner
I watched the offensive line specifically to see if we could see what we’ve heard was going to be an improvement over the last few years.
Coach Kevin O’Connell said in his 2024 postseason press conference that the offensive line needed an upgrade, and he upheld his belief in that. He and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pursued guard Will Fries and his Colts teammate Ryan Kelly to bolster the line, and then drafted Donovan Jackson in the first round, seeing him as the final piece.
While Jackson had some “welcome to the NFL” moments against the Texans, he also had some solid moments holding up on pass protection and run blocking for the short time he was in. Christian Darrisaw was kept out as he recovers from last year’s knee injury, and Justin Skule did well in his stead, even though Danielle Hunter didn’t play. Watching Kelly, Fries, and Brian O’Neill was like watching a clinic on how to play offensive line.
They were consistently blocking yards downfield on the run plays and being solid on the pass protection. The upgrade was noticeable (even if it’s only preseason) to anyone paying attention. Once all the starters are on the field, JJ McCarthy should feel relatively safe in the pocket, and Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason should be making positive yards on almost any play. After the starters came out, the production didn’t drop off too much.
The second string players are playing against other players of the same level, so what you look for is more successful plays over negative ones. Again, there were some struggles when the Texans still had some defensive starters in the game, but for the most part, the Vikings were successful up front.
Blake Brandel, who started at left guard last year, was solid playing out at tackle, which is his more natural position. He is athletic for his size and can get downfield on a screen play or reach the second level quickly. Walter Rouse was also dominating at the point of attack at times and holding his own. On some teams, he could be a starter. Guards Henry Bird and Joe Huber generally performed well, but they also had a few moments where they missed assignments.
The thing is that when they were in the pocket, they didn’t collapse in the middle, causing quarterbacks to run for their lives too often. When Max Brosmer came in, he had ample time to work his way down the field for a touchdown pass. The most impressive player was the 2nd-year man in the middle, Michael Jurgens, who played center. He called out protections and had clean snaps to Sam Howell, Brett Rypien, and Brosmer. He held the point of attack well and kept the middle of the pocket clean.
While we have to worry about Kelly and his injury history, I felt a bit better if Jurgens has to come in for spot duty this season.
One thing I looked for was how aggressive the offensive line was playing. Fries and Kelly have reputations as tough, nasty offensive players with an attitude that the rest of the players could use. I heard Chris Hawkey mention it on The Power Trip Morning Show on KFAN Monday morning as well.
He said that it even looked like O’Neill was playing with more of an attitude, and I have to agree. He has always been a tough player who doesn’t let much get by him, but it felt like he was playing with more of a chip on his shoulder. Attitude can be infectious, and it seems like the veteran additions are adding that to the team makeup.
Now, let’s be clear that we would never survive a complete switch of starting lines, but spot duty or short-term injuries should not affect this team very much on the offensive line. Long-term or season-ending injuries could be devastating, but not as bad as in years past.
Depth At Defensive Line Looks Strong
Vikings fans are still rubbing their hands in anticipation of all the starters being on the field on defense. We have yet to see what Johnathan Allan, Javon Hargrave, Harrison Phillips, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Johnathan Greenard will look like when they hit the field together.
Reports sound positive, and they are being attributed to why the QBs have been struggling in camp. Unlike the offensive line, the defensive line rotates players in more often for specific packages and to keep players fresh, so the players that started on Saturday will get plenty of playing time in the regular season.
Levi Drake Rodriguez was mainly playing at the nose tackle position with rookie 5th round pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and second-year man Jalen Redmond starting the game. On the edges were Dallas Turner and Gabriel Murphy in their second year.
While the defensive front wasn’t dominating the Texans, they were very solid with Murphy having a whale of a game. He finished with 1.5 sacks and a ton of quarterback hurries and pressures. Redmond picked up where he left off last year, getting into the backfield on a few plays with Rodriguez playing solid. Ingram-Dawkins didn’t give much to look at, but he has two more games to show what he brings.
Turner didn’t play long before Bo Richter took his place. He also had a good number of pressures and assisted on the Murphy sack while also shining on special teams. After they sat down, Tyler Batty and Chaz Chambliss had some good moments. While not all will make the team, I only see Chambliss headed to the practice squad at this time.
What I saw from the defense was that the Vikings may have depth that most teams will be jealous of. Again, this isn’t a switch-starters-for-backups-straight-up, and they’ll play the same, but mixing them in together on passing downs and special packages could be very interesting. Guys will get time to rest, and offenses will have to be more aware of who’s on the field.
This includes reports that when Dallas Turner came onto the field at practice, Van Ginkel moved to an interior linebacker position, which means Brian Flores is experimenting in his lab to see which concoctions he can mix into a volatile mixture.
It’s only the first preseason game, and you hate to get too excited, but many of these players were here last year, and we’ve seen what they can do before this game. To truly prove the depth is genuine, they will need to demonstrate it in two more games, solidifying the potential of both sides of the trenches, where success in football often begins.
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