Vikings Need Complete iOL Revamp
You have to go back many years for an offseason when the Vikings’ interior offensive line wasn’t circled as a priority for improvement.
A complete Vikings IOL revamp is needed as we head towards the 2025 season. The 2024 season was another one where the play from the guys on the interior wasn’t good enough.
Vikings Need Complete iOL Revamp
Over recent years, there has been plenty of chopping and changing at the guard position, but Garrett Bradbury has been the Vikings’ starting center since he was drafted in 2018. Bradbury has never lived up to his first-round status, and it’s time for Minnesota to move on.
He had his best year during Kevin O’Connell’s first season as head coach in 2022 but has followed that up with two disappointing seasons. The 30-year-old center is in the last year of his contract and carries a $6 million cap hit.
Minnesota can save almost $3.5 million by cutting Bradbury — over $5 million with a post-June 1 designation. The ideal scenario would be a pre-draft trade, which would save around the same amount of cap space but would bring in some much-needed draft capital. One man who stands out as someone the Vikings should consider replacing Bradbury is Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman. The 26-year-old Dalman had a breakthrough season in 2023 and followed that up with another good one last season.
His 78.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus is miles ahead of Bradbury’s mark of 62.1. Both men’s strength is in the run game, where Dalman scored a grade of 79.8 and Bradbury 70.7, whereas Bradbury struggles so much with pass blocking with a lowly 48.2 while allowing 4 sacks, 37 pressures, and committing 6 penalties. Dalman scores a respectable 66.6 pass-blocking grade while allowing 2 sacks, 10 pressures, and committing 3 penalties. Dalman is an upgrade that Minnesota should seek out.
The Guard Problem
Minnesota just can not get consistent play from its guards. Whether it is someone like Ed Ingram, who has the occasional game that shows promise but follows it up with a stinker, Ezra Cleveland, who was a good run blocker but struggled in pass protection, or Dalton Risner, who is the opposite, Minnesota just hasn’t gotten it right on the IOL.
Blake Brandel showed some early promise after his switch from tackle to guard this season, but his season unraveled somewhat, and he seemed to struggle more as the season went on rather than improve. Brandel is under contract for next season, and the Vikings may want to give him another year to develop. Risner is out of contract, and the Vikings must decide whether to bring him back again or go for a big-name guard in free agency — if not both.
Several talented guards are hitting free agency, which should interest Minnesota. Trey Smith is the big name at the top of the list, but Will Fries, Teven Jenkins, James Daniels, and Mekhi Becton would also be wise additions to the Vikings’ roster. It has been a while since the Vikings made a big money move at guard, and in my opinion, it is long overdue.
Getting the Best Out of the Offense
Coach O’Connell has built a reputation as a talented play designer. A number of those plays are long-developing plays down the field. You need an elite offensive line to get the best out of O’Connell’s offense and allow those plays to work consistently. In the three years O’Connell has been in Minnesota, the Vikings haven’t been close to that. The only man at that level is Christian Darrisaw, who was sorely missed when he got injured, while Brian O’Neill isn’t far away. The Vikings IOL has been average at best and, at times, just plain awful.
The Vikings employ some players who boost the OL in Josh Oliver and CJ Ham. Eyebrows were raised when the Vikings signed Oliver to a 3-year, $21 million deal for a tight end primarily known for his blocking. Oliver is capable of making plays, which is something he has done in Minnesota. Now, in the last year of his contract and with a $9.4 million cap hit in 2025, Oliver’s value to the team is being questioned. A stronger OL should negate the need for an experienced blocking TE, and the Vikings can look to save some money with a late-round rookie TE.
The same can be said for Ham, who has a $3.4 million cap hit in 2025, on which the Vikings can make a significant saving. Ham will turn 32 before the new season starts, and now could be the time for the Vikings to look for a younger replacement — if they even want a fullback. As a key special teams contributor and team captain, the Vikings will have to decide if Ham’s leadership is valuable enough to keep him around.
The Vikings’ offense can be explosive, but it needs to be more consistent in 2025. That consistency starts with a complete revamp of the Vikings’ IOL.
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