After two exceptional performances during the preseason where he meaningfully outplayed his peers, rookie Ed Ingram deserves to be named a starter.
There was plenty of controversy when the Minnesota Vikings selected Ingram with the 59th pick. There was, however, no doubt about the quality of player they were getting. In 2021, Ingram ranked first among all SEC guards in pass-blocking grade and earned a second-team all-SEC selection on a national title team.
Ingram was solid throughout all the offseason programs leading up to training camp, but he certainly was not the favorite to be the starting right guard come Week 1. That honor belonged to Jesse Davis, who the team signed this offseason.
However, Ingram continued to have solid practices. In the week leading up to Minnesota’s first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Ingram and Davis were seemingly neck and neck in a battle to earn the starting role.
Little did we know, the Vegas game would shift the tide in Ingram’s favor.
Davis played poorly. He allowed a sack and recorded a 4.7 pass-blocking grade and 56.1 run-blocking grade from PFF. He was Minnesota’s lowest-graded offensive player for the game.
Conversely, according to PFF, Ingram had a fantastic NFL debut, recording a 74.0 pass-blocking grade and an 84.4 run-blocking grade, and he only allowed one pressure on 30 snaps. His stats alone show that Ingram had a far better performance. Turn on the tape, though, and you can truly see the difference.
In the 40-second video above, you can see some of Ingram’s highlights from the game against the Raiders. He simply dominated. Ingram got to the second level on runs, helping his teammates in pass-pro, and was an anchor when the Raiders rushed him. It’s the type of guard play the Vikings so desperately need.
Following this performance, Ingram picked up where he left off and had another great week during Minnesota’s joint team practice with the San Francisco 49ers, earning all of the Vikings’ first-team reps during their practice on Wednesday.
The same can’t be said the same for his competitor, Jesse Davis. Davis struggled mightily during the joint practice and ran with the second team throughout drills. Things were at an all-time low for him when DT Javon Kinlaw pancaked him.
The Vikings listed Davis as one of their inactive players on Saturday. Most of the 27 guys who did not play against the San Francisco 49ers are established starters. However, they started Ingram. The coaching staff seemed to be signifying that Ingram was still behind Davis on the depth chart.
Despite that, Ingram had another solid performance, creating massive lanes in the run game and being the sole offensive lineman who appeared capable of winning a pass-block rep.
Unfortunately, Javon Kinlaw beat him for a sack.
But that was Ingram’s only glaring mistake in a game where he looked miles ahead of his teammates on a snap-to-snap basis.
Considering what we have seen from Ingram and Davis, it’s clear who should be the starter come Week 1. However, it seems the Vikings are hesitant to name Ingram the starter for whatever reason, whether it be that he is a rookie or that camp isn’t over just yet.
One thing is clear, though. Ed Ingram has come into this offense and taken the job from Jesse Davis’ grasp with considerable ease.
