Free Agent Option for Vikings Receives Major Injury Clearance
The Minnesota Vikings may or may not need a center in free agency this summer, depending on how veteran Blake Brandel looks in training camp. Ryan Kelly retired a few months ago, and as of now, Brandel is on track to be the starting center for the purple team.
But just in case, don’t rule out free agent Ethan Pocic, who received a clean bill of health on Wednesday.
Vikings Still Has Room to Add Proven Competition
Pocic Good to Go — and Looking for Work
If you don’t quite trust Brandel as a sufficient OL solution for the Vikings this season, Pocic can be on your radar.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “Browns starting center Ethan Pocic, who tore his Achilles last December, recently was cleared by Dr. Norman Waldrop to participate in training camp. Pocic is a free agent, and is said by a source to be ‘full go.'”
NBC Sports‘ Myles Simmons added context, “Center Ethan Pocic is available for work. Pocic is a free agent after spending the last four seasons with Cleveland. A second-round pick in 2017, Pocic played his first five seasons with the Seahawks, appearing in 57 games with 40 starts. He signed with the Browns as a free agent in 2022, starting 57 games for the club.”
Think of it this way: if the Vikings’ coaching staff realizes that it needs a better alternative at center in the next two months, Pocic would probably be their first call — if they make it in time.
Pocic’s Resume
Pocic has built a solid nine-year NFL career, starting 97 of 114 regular-season games. Drafted by the Seahawks in 2017, Pocic initially played guard before settling in at center. Once he became a full-time starter, his snap count increased immensely, reaching 993 snaps in 2020.
His most successful period began after joining Cleveland. From 2022 to 2025, Pocic started all 57 games he played for the Browns. His standout season was 2022, when he earned an impressive 78.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, with a run-blocking score to match. His pass protection, too, remained reliable.
He followed this with a 70.7 grade in 2023, achieving a 72.9 mark as a pass blocker. While his performance in 2024 (63.6) and 2025 (63.8) dipped, his play remained respectable.
Throughout his career, Pocic has accumulated 6,407 offensive snaps, with over 4,000 in pass protection and 2,369 as a run blocker. Notably, he has only incurred 29 penalties.
Though Pocic may no longer be at his 2022 peak, he remains an experienced starting center capable of immediately stabilizing an offensive line. That could be just what the doctor ordered for the 2026 Vikings.
The Brandel Plan
Brandel played center in 2025 when Kelly battled concussions, and truth be told, he improved every week. There’s a chance that, with the nomination as the starting center, Brandel secures the job and makes it his own. The Vikings evidently believe it’s possible; otherwise, they would have signed a free agent in March, like Cade Mays, or drafted a rookie in April, like Logan Jones, Connor Lew, Sam Hecht, or Jake Slaughter.
Minnesota drafted Brandel in 2020, and he’s quietly one of their best draft picks over the past 10 years, given his 6th-Round stock. He’s as versatile as they come and, in fact, can play any position on the offensive line. You need a tackle because Christian Darrisaw got hurt? Tap Brandel on the shoulder. How about a backup guard? Yes, that’s Brandel, too.
Now, he’ll be rewarded for his efforts as a starting center — a really tall one at 6’7″ — if the Vikings don’t sign a free agent like Pocic.
The Contingencies
Pretend that Brandel just doesn’t cut this summer or early in the regular season. Minnesota has two in-house options behind him. It drafted Michael Jurgens late in the 2024 NFL Draft, and in theory, he could get an audition in place of Brandel. Jurgens has never set the world on fire as a realistic starting option, but stranger things have happened than a young lineman maturing and developing in the background.
What’s more, the Vikings used a 7th-Round selection on Cincinnati’s Gavin Gerhardt three months ago. Most fans thought — for sure — Minnesota would leave the draft with a center who projected to start in 2026 or 2027, but instead, interim general manager Rob Brzezinski took a flier on Gerhardt. Seventh-rounders are hit-or-miss for eventual production, so Gerhardt is more of a lottery ticket.
Aside from a missing 4th-Rounder next year, the Vikings have a mostly full draft cabinet and could also use some capital to trade for a veteran center if needed.
Pocic will turn 31 next month.
