Vikings’ Top Roster Cut Candidate Is Pretty Obvious
One month ago, the Minnesota Vikings vowed to improve the offensive line’s interior after an embarrassing showing in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams.
Vikings’ Top Roster Cut Candidate Is Pretty Obvious
Now, with free agency less than three weeks away, the team’s top roster-cut candidate is glowingly obvious: offensive guard Ed Ingram is probably on his way out.
Minnesota isn’t required to release any players in the next few weeks, but every NFL team does precisely that entering free agency, and Ingram on the outside looking in just makes too much sense.
While Ingram could be eligible for an NFL Escalator boost to his pay, this is how a cap hit could look if the Vikings released him this offseason:
Dead Cap if Cut: $385,000
Cap Savings if Cut pre-6/1: $3.3 million
Cap Savings if Cut post-6/1: $3.3 million
That’s a low dead cap penalty if Minnesota wishes to move on. Ingram started for 2.5 seasons at right guard before being benched in favor of Dalton Risner in 2024. Minnesota gave Ingram 48 games to develop, but to date, he’s a below-average offensive lineman. If the Vikings drop Ingram, some team would probably take a flyer on the former 2nd-Round pick.
The Rams set that postseason record for sacks when they clobbered the Vikings in the Wildcard Round last month, knocking Sam Darnold flat 9 times. The Rams defeated the Vikings 27-9, ending Minnesota’s 14-3 win season.
Thereafter, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell vowed to improve. “There’s no question that we got to be able to find a way to give a quarterback time. Especially with players like Jordan Addison, Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, we got to find a way to solidify the interior of the pocket, starting first and foremost,” O’Connell told reporters after the loss.
O’Connell added, “There can be a thousand excuses made. But, for me, it’s the foundation of the interior of the pocket that we’re going to have to take a long look at.”
Fans construed those comments as a call for reform, meaning existing players like Ingram could be left behind.
And for an Ingram replacement, these are the free-agent usual suspects at the moment:
- Trey Smith
- Mekhi Becton
- Kevin Zeitler
- Will Fries
- Brandon Scherff
- Teven Jenkins
It’s also worth noting that Ingram’s iOL teammates, center Garrett Bradbury and guard Blake Brandel, could, in theory, be released.
But none seem as likely as Ingram, who has not panned out as a starter for Minnesota.
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 Vikings 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.
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