Vikings Finally Wave White Flag on Ill-Advised Strategy
The approach wasn’t working, so the Vikings finally decided to wave the white flag.
Across a trio of seasons, Kevin O’Connell’s offense tried to get by with a pair of studs at tackle — Christian Darrisaw & Brian O’Neill — alongside a hodgepodge interior o-line that sometimes elevated their play to average. Too often, though, the play dipped to below average, such as the now infamous meltdown against the Rams in the opening round of the playoffs.
Vikings Finally Wave White Flag on OL Strategy
So, what to do?
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah decided to fully overhaul his interior o-line, sinking top-level resources into the area in both of free agency and now within the draft. The end result is a front five that’s looking considerably better, at least on paper.
At first, the decision was to fortify the two weakest positions: center and right guard.
The Colts — a team with a well-earned reputation for building strong offensive lines — had Ryan Kelly and Will Fries entering free agency. Both ventured to the NFC North, agreeing to pretty meaty deals to get horns on their helmet instead of a horseshoe.
Mr. Kelly, a seasoned veteran who has been in the NFL for nine seasons, agreed to a contract worth $18 million across a pair of seasons. All things considered, a middle-class deal in the world of NFL finances.
Fries, meanwhile, convinced Minnesota to empty the ATM (at least partly due to the competition for his services). The right guard who is entering his fifth NFL season agreed to a five-year contract that’s coming in just a bit below $88 million. Major money, folks.
The final piece of the puzzle was left guard, the spot occupied by Blake Brandel. True, Kevin O’Connell acknowledged that Brandel would be in an offseason competition to stick around as the LG1, but would the team really sink No. 24 into a guard? Turns out that the answer was an emphatic yes.
Consider, as a recap, the resources sunk into redoing the iOL:
- LG: Donovan Jackson via the No. 24 pick
- C: Ryan Kelly via a two-year, $18 million deal
- RG: Will Fries via a five-year, $88(ish) million deal
Quite the departure from the old strategy, right? Folks, we’re not talking about a fresh coat of paint and maybe putting a new faucet on the sink. Rather, there’s a full tear down, putting in new appliances, new countertops, cupboards, and everything else a luxury kitchen could need. Does the offense now get to feast?
Since 2022, the Vikings’ interior offensive line has mostly consisted of some combination of Ezra Cleveland (now traded away), Dalton Risner (currently a free agent), Garrett Bradbury (who was cut, is now a Patriot), and Ed Ingram (a 2nd-Round selection who always struggled, now traded away). Oh, and then Blake Brandel, a do-it-all depth piece who rose to LG1 but who now looks like he’ll again be a do-it-all depth piece.
Sure, the former regime sunk a 1st into Bradbury — a considerable expense for a center — but the new GM brought him back for a modest three-year contract coming in at $15.75 million, less than Kelly received across just two seasons. Cleveland was operating on a rookie contract and so was Ingram. Both were 2nd-Round lineman — all things considered, high for a guard — but their play was either pretty good (Cleveland) or bad (Ingram).
Finally, there was Risner, someone who offers pretty strong pass pro and great energy. He signed consecutive single-season deals with the Vikings, neither of which climbed above $3 million. Risner went out the door and Adofo-Mensah pivoted toward a replacement who’s close to $88 million. See the difference?
J.J. McCarthy is taking over as the QB1 and the plan is to give him every chance to succeed. That means the Vikings finally have waved the white flag on the old way of building an offensive line, an approach that invested heavily at tackle but scrimped and saved at guard and center. No longer.
We’ll see if the investment pays off once September — and, more importantly, January — arrive.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
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