Vikings Might Have Lost the Slam Dunk Trade
Seven months ago, the Minnesota Vikings shipped Ed Ingram to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 6th-Round pick, a deal universally applauded by purple fans — and even laughed at because the return felt lopsided.
One Minnesota Vikings trade may not be decided in full, but the early returns paint a different picture than folks thought six months ago.
Now, that deal may be swinging in the other direction, as Ingram has chosen to ball out to start the 2025 season.
Ed Ingram Trade for Vikings Looks Bizarre — For Now
No one expected Ingram to emerge as a stud, but he has.
Ed Ingram Is the Best Guard in the NFL, per PFF
Some purple fans will say, “You can’t make this stuff up.”
But yes — Ingram is the best guard in the NFL through five games, which is also ironic because Ingram missed Week 1 due to injury. Houston couldn’t utilize him in Week 1, but when Ingram entered the lineup in Week 2, he thrived. And a few weeks later, the guy is the league’s best guard in Pro Football Focus speak.
These are the NFL’s best guards entering Week 6, according to PFF:
- Ed Ingram (84.0)
- Brady Christensen (82.6)
- Quenton Nelson (77.5)
- Quinn Meinerz (75.7)
- Joel Bitonio (74.7)
- David Edwards (73.8)
- Matthew Bergeron (73.7)
- Trey Smith (72.7)
Unless one believes PFF is pure hogwash — some do — Ingram is the best in the business. In Minnesota, he ranked as one of the worst in the industry.
The Trade to Houston
During an offseason when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah decided to rebuild and overhaul his offensive line once and for all, Ingram, the team’s right guard from 2022 to 2024, was one of the first to depart.
Adofo-Mensah traded Ingram to Houston for a 6th-Round pick, considered a steal by Vikings fans because most thought Ingram would be cut amid roster trimdowns in late August.
Fans rejoiced, knowing that Minnesota could get something for Ingram, who, by all accounts, teetered on the dreaded draft “bust” label.
The Return for Vikings
What did Minnesota do with the 6th-Rounder? It turned around and shipped it to San Francisco, as part of a deal with 49ers general manager John Lynch for running back Jordan Mason.
Mason is Minnesota’s RB1 at the moment with Aaron Jones on injured reserve. In fact, Mason has represented one of the purple team’s saving graces this season, keeping the offense on track and consistently gaining positive yardage.
Before Ingram’s 2025 breakout, Mason, as a fruit of the Ingram trade, felt like a total no-brainer win for Adofo-Mensah. Ingram’s performance pumps the brakes on that declaration.
Jordan Mason v. Ed Ingram Trajectory
Of course, no NFL trade can be adjudicated until about three years down the road. For example, for approximately three years, NFL media and Buffalo Bills fans loved calling the Stefon Diggs trade between Buffalo and Minnesota a “draw” that worked out for both teams.
That deal occurred in 2020, and fast forward to 2025, it’s abundantly clear that Minnesota “won the trade.” Diggs doesn’t play for Buffalo, the Bills never won a Super Bowl with Diggs (or anybody), and Jefferson is the best wideout in the world.
In that vein, Ingram could eventually faceplant and return to his mediocre tendencies, while Mason takes off as Minnesota’s long-term RB1. For now, however, Houston has found itself a startable guard — the top one in the NFL if one trusts PFF.
Kyle Joudry on Ingram
Our Kyle Joudry added on Ingram, “On a team level, the Texans aren’t particularly pleased. Starting 0-3 is a surefire way to undermine a season before it can really begin. Perhaps there’s little solace, then, in what’s being accomplished from their young offensive lineman.”
“Keep in mind, folks, that many Vikings fans were doing cartwheels when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pried away a 6th for the guard. Optimism had vanished for the lineman, replaced by a well-worn path within the fans’ collective mind about doom-and-gloom in the trenches.”
Not for nothing, Houston still has the league’s fourth-worst offensive line after five weeks, per PFF.
“There is, however, some reason to believe that he’s playing well for the Texans. As things stand, Ed Ingram is the 3rd-best guard on PFF. His 75.6 grade is the best he has offered and it isn’t particularly close. Pushing the grade skyward is a very impressive 79.5 grade as a run blocker. The 59.8 grade for pass blocking does need to be addressed,” Joudry continued.
“At the very least, though, Ingram has been giving his new team very strong play in one facet of football while he continues ironing out the issues when it comes to ceding ground within the aerial attack.”
For over six months, the Ingram deal felt like a slam dunk for Minnesota. Now, that’s in jeopardy. The Vikings need Jordan Mason to have staying power — or Ingram to return to Ingramian ways.
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