Hulking Vikings Lineman Looking for Fortunes to Turn with 1 Player Now Hurt
Vikings lineman Walter Rouse hasn’t had the sophomore season he was hoping for when September arrived.
The depth tackle had a chance at being a key depth player, someone who was getting some hype due to his capacity to shuffle into guard if needed. But then reality has hit and the playing time has been modest. So modest, in fact, that Mr. Rouse has often been a healthy scratch. The news of losing left tackle Christian Darrisaw for the remainder of the year means there’s an open door for the large lad. Can he earn more playing time in the coming weeks?
Vikings Lineman Walter Rouse Steps into Spotlight
Adjust the roster to determine the heaviest player. Mr. Rouse is coming out on top at 330 pounds.
He’s carrying that weight on a 6’6″ frame, making him well-suited to dance with NFL defensive linemen. Rouse came to town at the top of the 6th in the 2024 NFL Draft, scooped up with a pick that arrived in the Twin Cities due to the Ezra Cleveland trade. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah conveyed optimism about his late-round lineman, suggesting he could develop into a strong player.
In time, perhaps, Adofo-Mensah’s assessment will become a reality. The current outlook is a touch more bleak.
The 24-year-old offensive tackle has commonly been scratched for games. Teams carry 53 players on the active roster but several don’t dress for the game. Rouse has often been among those who get told not to put on his helmet and shoulder pads.
Even last week — a contest that was lacking Darrisaw — Rouse got left out of action. What gives?
The main backup at offensive tackle is Justin Skule. The veteran swing tackle got brought to town for precisely the task he’s being tasked with going into Week 16: function as an injury fill-in. Being the third option at OT is a decent gig, a job that comes with medium-level pay and quite a bit of playing time.
Meanwhile, teams are often keen about employing a strong OT3. Playing along the o-line often leads to injury, if only in a minor capacity. Employing someone who can jump into action at a moment’s notice is what a team wants, especially if the coach can continue calling the desired plays.
Behind Skule and Brian O’Neill is Blake Brandel, the do-it-all o-lineman who has snaps at all five o-line positions in his pro career (as he foretold while chatting with VT).
The issue isn’t with Mr. Brandel’s abilities. Rather, the issue is that there’s only one Mr. Brandel. He has been needed at guard and center, too, during the 2025 season. The way things have gone, he’ll be needed again at one of those spots before the year is done.
In other words, Brandel as the lone option to backup the healthy OTs seems somewhat foolish. LG1 Donovan Jackson could get kicked out to tackle, a task he did while in college. Doing so has some appeal even if the desire is to let a young fella settle into his spot.
Other options to reinforce those interior spots are rookie Joe Huber and sophomore Michael Jurgens. Neither are tackles.
Finally, there’s Walter Rouse. He has only played in six games, a modest total since the season has seen fourteen games go by. Even worse is that Minnesota hasn’t exactly been the most healthy team in the NFL. Only Will Fries hasn’t missed time due to injury among the starting five. But despite the turmoil, Rouse hasn’t had a single start. His playing time has been at 88 snaps on offense alongside 27 snaps on special teams.
The New York Giants are the enemy in Week 16. The opponent is terrible but the talent along the defensive front isn’t. In particular, there’s Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence to worry about, which is to say nothing of Abdul Carter.
Walter Rouse will be looking to be active for the game in New York. If on the field, Rouse will then be looking to stifle a ferocious Giants front.
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