New Starter Could Enter Lineup for Vikings against Chargers
All eyes focused on the quarterback position Tuesday when Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to the media, and rightfully so. But the skipper also seemed to hint at a switch from Blake Brandel to Michael Jurgens at center, or at least the possibility of it.
The Vikings seem to have one surprise each week, and the latest could be a switch on the offensive line, according to head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Brandel started in Week 7 and has encountered a blustery day against the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive line. Jurgens may get the nod in Week 8.
Who Will It Be at Center for the Vikings? Blake Brandel or Michael Jurgens?
Go-time is one day away.
Kevin O’Connell Leaves Vikings Door Open for Michael Jurgens to Start at Center
Minnesota drafted Brandel as a tackle, converted him to guard in the 2024 offseason, and tried him at center over the last few weeks. The latest experiment may be winding down.
Our Sean Borman tweeted Tuesday, “Sounds like both Michael Jurgens and Blake Brandel will take reps at center this week, with O’Connell saying they’ll choose the best lineup for Thursday.”
So, it’s a “may the best man win” at center for Minnesota this week, with one day to go before the Thursday Night Football showdown in Los Angeles.
Brandel’s Brutal Sunday
Viewed last week as a candidate to secure Minnesota’s center job for the foreseeable future, Brandel stumbled against Philadelphia — mightily. His afternoon began with a costly misfire, a snap sailing over Carson Wentz’s head inside the red zone, derailing a potential touchdown drive and pushing the Vikings back 22 yards before Will Reichard salvaged points with a 59-yard kick.
Later, officials tagged Brandel with a questionable holding call that erased another Minnesota touchdown. Even if the call was debatable — it was — it still defined his outing for all the wrong reasons. To make matters worse, Jalen Carter repeatedly disrupted the OL interior, delivering multiple quarterback hits, including the one that set up a devastating pick-six from the arm of Wentz.
No Ryan Kelly
Meanwhile, the full-time center, Kelly, is on injured reserve.
Kelly has suffered five concussions in his career, including two in three games this season, his first as a Viking. He has no timetable to return, though his IR stint will technically ease after Week 9.
His season may be over, his career also in jeopardy. Kelly could have a chance to return this season, but no Vikings fan is counting on it. Auditioning Jurgens or hoping Brandel shakes off the Week 7 outing is vital if either man wants to play center for the purple team in 2026 and beyond.
Center Probably a 2026 Offseason Need
If one assumes that Brandel and Jurgens don’t pan out, and Kelly doesn’t return at all, well, Minnesota will need a center next offseason.
These men are tentatively slated to hit the open market in free agency, although a few of the men will return to their current team:
- Ryan Bates
- Austin Corbett
- Ted Karras
- Tyler Linderbaum
- Cade Mays
- Connor McGovern
- Ethan Pocic
It’s also worth noting that Minnesota won’t have much free-agent cash flow in March, starting out around $40 million in the red and needing to clear cap space just to free up the books for a positive ledger.
In the draft, these rookies could be on the Vikings’ April radar, just to name a few of the top prospects:
- Jake Slaughter (Florida)
- Connor Lew (Auburn)
- Parker Brailsford (Alabama)
- Logan Jones (Iowa)
- Iapani Laloulu (Oregon)
Center will be an offseason talker, rest assured, if Brandel or Jurgens don’t trend in the right direction during the next three months.
More on Brandel
The Viking Age‘s Anthony Miller weighed in on Brandel’s rough Week 7 showing, “It’s safe to say that Brandel was bullied on the offensive line against the Eagles. Jalen Carter was giving him fits the whole game, but it was his massive swat on Brandel that caused Carter to rush right in and deliver a hit to Carson Wentz that resulted in the pick-six by Jalyx Hunt in the first half.”
“Things just didn’t seem to get better for Brandel as he was called for a holding penalty while the Vikings were in the red zone, which resulted in a touchdown being taken off the board. There is a legitimate argument that it was a bad call by the referees, but it still took points off the board.”
Fans may not know the starting center until the first offensive drive in Los Angeles.
Miller added, “One of the worst plays happened again in the red zone with Minnesota driving, when Brandel made a critical mistake. He was credited with a fumble after a bad snap went over Wentz’s head and resulted in a loss of 22 yards. The game ended with the Eagles taking it 28-22 over the Vikings. Brandel finished the game with a PFF grade of 51.1, the second lowest on Minnesota’s offense besides Wentz.”
“It feels as though many fans knew this was going to end horribly for the Vikings to have Brandel at center. The only hope is that Kelly can be 100 percent from his concussion once he is off injured reserve. For the time being, there might need to be a conversation about Jurgens potentially starting over Brandel, as this is not working out the way Minnesota would have hoped.”
Minnesota is a 3.5-point underdog at Los Angeles.
You must be logged in to post a comment.