Apparently, The Vikings Have Lost Confidence in a Huge Lineman
The NFL is a place where actions speak louder than words. As a result, the actions surrounding young offensive tackle Walter Rouse are of note.
The Vikings worked through a 2025 season with no shortage of offensive line turmoil. In fact, there were so many issues that o-line coach Chris Kuper was shown the door. But while there were no shortage of issues up front — especially as it relates to OT depth, or lack thereof — Mr. Rouse didn’t get much opportunity to dress, let alone play.
The Vikings Appear to Have Lost Confidence in OT Walter Rouse
On Halloween of 2023, the Vikings shipped Ezra Cleveland down to Jacksonville in exchange for a 6th-Round selection.
The decision appeared to be motivated by a pair of realities. Cleveland, a good player, was moving into a future where he needed a raise coming off his rookie contract. Shipping him out meant saving money. Plus, the roster boasted Dalton Risner, meaning there was an in-house replacement to continue functioning as the LG1.
So, a 6th got added from the Jaguars. With that pick, Walter Rouse got added.
Seeing Mr. Rouse work through a humble rookie season caught nobody by surprise. Being added in the 6th meant that expectations were low even if the Vikings’ front office kicked over praise.
Going into 2025, expectations raised a touch. Coming back as the top options were LT1 Christian Darrisaw (albeit off a serious knee injury) and RT1 Brian O’Neill. Both of Darrisaw and O’Neill are strong options, meaning it was fair to dream about where the o-line could go.
And then free agency led to adding Justin Skule. The plan, quite evidently, was to lean on him as the OT3, an assumption that ended up being accurate. Rouse was the obvious option to be the OT4.
For a while, that appeared to be the path. Walter Rouse played in seven games, with the high point for playing time being in Week 8. That was the game where the Chargers overcame the Vikings by a score of 37-10.
Blaming Rouse for that outcome is foolish, but he was out there for 40 snaps on offense alongside 4 snaps on special teams.
After Week 8, Walter Rouse dressed for just one more game: the Week 17 victory over the Lions where he didn’t play on offense but did earn 5 snaps on specials. Getting phased out is a bad sign, especially since there wasn’t even a role on specials.
Do remember that Blake Brandel, a college offensive tackle, remains in town. The do-it-all lineman is the equivalent of a baseball utility player but for the trenches in football. Brandel got tasked with picking up some snaps at OT when there was a need for more help beyond just Skule.
But isn’t that what Rouse was supposed to offer? Not turning to Rouse is telling, especially since the season involved turning to fellow 2024 draftee Michael Jurgens at various points for help along the interior of the o-line.
In the past, the Vikings have shuffled out o-linemen via trade when they didn’t work out in Minnesota. Is that going to happen for Walter Rouse?
Most notable in terms of a comparable situation, there was Vederian Lowe. He was a depth OT scooped up in the 6th of the 2022 NFL Draft; he’s now a Patriot after getting moved out for a 6th, cancelling out the cost of acquisition. There’s then Ed Ingram, the 2nd-Round guard who was traded away for a 6th, as well. Ingram then thrived with the Texans.
At the end of the day, there is much that’s uncertain within the Twin Cities. The status of Rouse on the roster is among the many decisions that have to be made in the coming weeks and months.
The brutal reality, though, is that Minnesota had a need for offensive tackle help but didn’t even put him in shoulder pads for the vast majority of the season’s final half, suggesting that he’s skating on thin ice.
Walter Rouse, 24, stands at 6’6″ and 330 pounds. Very soon, Rouse will need to start fulfilling his potential to maintain his job as a Viking. Seeing him develop into a strong OT3 would mean that the draft pick that got sunk into him was a savvy move.
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