The Vikings’ New O-Lineman Left a QB Circus to Join a QB Carnival
Starting center Ryan Kelly wanted to get off the quarterback rollercoaster. He had snapped the ball to thirteen different quarterbacks with the Colts. Continuity — and winning — was desired.
Andrew Luck, a passer (close to) being worthy of filling Peyton Manning’s shoes, retired stunningly early. What followed was a vast array of passers trying to do good things for the Colts; none of them had any staying power. Mr. Kelly, a player who got his NFL career off the ground in 2016, wanted to finally experience QB stability. Unfortunately, the Vikings’ new o-lineman is working through an ongoing QB circus.
Vikings’ New O-Lineman Ryan Kelly Again in QB Chaos
Coming to Minnesota made a pile of sense for Kelly.
Coming off a 13-4 season, the Vikings appeared ready to turn the corner. So much was being invested to reinvigorate a team that came up small in a big moment. Part of the plan was to build up the trenches — Kelly was central to that aim — to complement high-end skill with versatility and ruggedness (read: being capable of running).
On a personal level, Mr. Kelly hasn’t had a great season. Crucially, that’s not due to playing bad ball.
His on-field play has been good. Very promising, in fact. The folks at PFF are impressed, handing the C1 a grade coming in at 80.8. There haven’t been enough snaps to qualify for a ranking among the NFL’s many centers, but that’s a very healthy number that hasn’t been seen for a Minnesota center for a long time.
But therein lies the issue: not playing very much at all. There have been four games and just 157 snaps on offense.
The 32-year-old center has had to work through a pair of concussions. In the world of NFL injuries, consecutive concussions is close to as scary as it gets. Sensibly, he took a lot of time off with the second one, giving himself plenty of time to get back to full health.
Now that he’s back, Ryan Kelly is taking extra precautions. The guardian cap is meant to lessen the chance of further head injury. Looking goofy is a small price to pay for preserving cognitive function.
While Kelly’s play and return to health are positive, what’s not positive is what’s unfolding at quarterback.
J.J. McCarthy is currently working through his own concussion. Carson Wentz is recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery. Max Brosmer is next up. The rookie will be the third passer for Kelly in just his fifth game as a Viking. If something poor happens to Brosmer, then John Wolford will become the fourth passer for Kelly to work alongside in the Twin Cities.
In a lot of ways, the Vikings appear to be working through a mess of their own making. As so many have said, the option was there for one of Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, or Aaron Rodgers. More sensible would have been an effort to bring a sturdier QB2 aboard back in March, signing someone like Mac Jones, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett, or one of the other depth options demonstrating on-field promise.
Instead, the Vikings insisted that they were different, capable of trusting the QB-turned-HC to whisper the right advice to the unproven 22-year-old sophomore to lead this team deep into the postseason. Instead, the Vikings can’t complete a pass with any regularity.
Ryan Kelly and the Vikings travel to Seattle in Week 13. A tough test against Mr. Darnold’s Seahawks awaits. In a perfect world, Kelly will only snap the ball to Brosmer as the Vikings arrive at some semblance of competent football.
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