Vikings Smash the iOL in 1st Wave of Free Agency
The first wave of free agency signings saw the Vikings fix the iOL, with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah addressing the calls from fans, alas.
The Vikings GM has delivered six new players as of Wednesday morning, and four of them are on the interior of either the offensive or defensive line.
Vikings Smash the iOL in 1st Wave of Free Agency
The cliche is that football is won in the trenches; people say that because it’s true. Reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, are the proof. Philadelphia has built a dominant line on both sides of the ball and has reaped the rewards. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the Vikings have been strong on the edge but weak on the interior of both lines, causing accusations of neglect from onlookers.
Concentrating on the OL, the Vikings struck gold in the draft with Christian Darrisaw (first round) and Brian O’Neill (second round), but despite putting early draft capital into the interior of the offensive line. They have not had the same success with the likes of Garrett Bradbury, Ezra Cleveland, and Ed Ingram, who never worked out as they would have hoped.
It was time for the Vikings to make significant moves in free agency, and they did just that, signing Ryan Kelly at center and Will Fries at (right) guard. Both are from the Indianapolis Colts, so they come to Minnesota with familiarity.
Kelly with A Side of Fries
Kelly was announced first, signing a 2-year, $18 million contract. Social media was then full of the same joke, “Kelly with a side of fries”. It was clear what the Minnesota faithful wanted — a major move at guard, and their new center was the stand-out candidate on the table. Vikings fans had to wait, which caused frustration in some quarters, but there was no need to worry as Adofo-Mensah struck early on Tuesday morning with a flurry of moves, which included signing Fries to a 5-year, $88 million contract.
Kelly is at the back end of his career, turning 32 in May. He has spent all nine seasons of his career with the Colts, who drafted him in the first round back in 2016. A 4-time pro bowler and second-team All-Pro, Kelly was still playing well last season with a 71.9 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus — for context, Bradbury scored 48.2; the upgrade is huge.
Injuries have been a concern during his career, and he missed seven games across two spells in 2024 due to knee problems. The Vikings will hope he can stay healthy this year.
Fries got a 5-year contract, which shows Minnesota believes he is a long-term solution. I ranked him number one in my top 5 options at guard, so I am naturally delighted with the acquisition. Fries progressed through the ranks after being drafted by the Colts in the seventh round in 2021.
Fries became a starter at guard in Year 3 and was amid a major breakout season before a broken leg ended his season abruptly. Scoring an impressive 86.9 for his efforts in 2024, Kevin O’Connell will be hoping he returns to that sort of level in Minnesota. Something Vikings fans haven’t seen from a guard in some time.
The Final Piece
The Vikings are set with four outstanding players across their OL in Darrisaw, O’Neill, Kelly, and Fries. The remaining question is, what do they do at left guard? Do they stay with what they have and give Blake Brandel a chance to continue to develop after he was switched from tackle to guard last season, or do they try something new? Brandel was up and down last season and seemed to particularly struggle once the reassuring figure of Darrisaw was no longer next to him at left tackle.
There has also been talk of Walter Rouse being converted to guard, and the Vikings could let last year’s sixth-round pick battle it out with Brandel for the spot. Alternatively, they could re-sign Dalton Risner again and move him across to left guard.
There is still room for the Vikings to make another splash and have a complete iOL revamp. Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell could look to the draft, where Grey Zabel, Tyler Booker, and Tate Ratledge would be the top options. At the time of writing, several options are still available in free agency for the Vikings to explore. These include Teven Jenkins, Mekhi Becton, Will Hernandez, and Brandon Scherff.
We will find out in due course what the Vikings plan for left guard, but one thing is certain. Minnesota should be much improved on the iOL this season.
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