The Minnesota Vikings started the season with solid interior offensive line play. Blake Brandel stood out in his newfound starting role, offering a particularly good anchor in the run game. However, the success of Minnesota’s interior line was short-lived, as pressures up the middle started to wreck drives again.
Ed Ingram has struggled since the Vikings took him in the second round of the 2022 draft, and Garrett Bradbury seems to get steamrolled by a nose tackle at least once a game. Dalton Risner quickly became a fan favorite for his happy-go-lucky attitude about the great game. Still, after taking Ingram’s starting right guard position, his results down the stretch were subpar at best, with his PFF grade totaling a 67, about average for the position.
Quarterbacks can find their flow in the peak of the pocket. He’ll climb, sidestep, and create avenues for the ball to reach its intended window. Therefore, the interior line’s peak in pass-protection scenarios is critical for the aerial attack to hit its stride.
The offensive line is often an easy scapegoat when determining why a drive stalls. However, when the peak of the pocket collapses regularly, it becomes more of an area of focus, not just a cheap excuse for why the offense isn’t pushing the ball downfield.
Last year, there were too many examples of pressure getting home on Sam Darnold up the middle, so much so that we saw Darnold display some escapism within his game to extend plays. However, that leaves the Vikings with some harsh realities regarding the guard and center positions, considering that second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy is poised to compete for the starting spot.
Letting Bradbury go could be a sentimental blow for the locker room, as he has established himself as a leader. However, considering his four-year struggle in pass protection, it might be time to admit that Bradbury may not be cut out for handling guys like Dexter Lawrence, Jalen Carter, and Chris Jones. It’s also worth noting that the Vikings could save $5.25 million by cutting Bradbury.
If the Vikings go in another direction from the veteran center, Jake Majors is a name to watch for in the upcoming draft. Majors carries a frame you want to see in a center who has to go up against ultra-savvy, gigantic defensive linemen like Lawrence, Carter, and Jones. Majors has excellent feet in pass protection.
Between Brandel, Ingram, and Risner, it’s systematically difficult to upend an entire position group. However, the Vikings could benefit from letting Risner go while keeping Brandel and Ingram under contract until at least 2026. Minnesota could keep Brandel and Ingram as depth pieces while looking to fill out the offensive line in free agency and the draft, which is loaded with guard talent.
On outside-zone run concepts, the Vikings need guards who are fast enough to swing to the outside, an area where the team struggled last season, but also big enough to seal that edge and create the proper holes to hit.
Kevin Zeitler is a free agent, and the former Detriot Lions guard worked well with what the Lions were doing on the outside with running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Zeitler turns 35 in the spring and could be a cheaper, safer option for Minnesota to explore.
On the other hand, and more pressingly, the Vikings need guards who can create a peak for the pocket and allow the quarterback to step up if necessary without resetting his feet or taking his eyes off upfield.
That’s where the draft comes in.
Minnesota’s limited draft capital has been a talking point since the start of the offseason. This year, acquiring necessary talent in weaker roster areas carries more significance.
Alabama’s Tyler Booker has some of the most impressive game tapes. His ability to finish reps through the whistle is textbook. He can fluidly diagnose stunts from the defensive line, leading to a quick reaction time without much compromise on his new assignment.
Booker’s frame also provides a substantial reach, keeping defenders at bay while being a strong anchor on pass protection downs. He can swing outside regarding zone running schemes, and his aggressiveness ensures a seal.
If the Vikings want to make a proper splash while addressing a needed upgrade at the guard position, Booker in the first round is intriguing. At the NFL combine later this week, look for how Booker and Majors perform in their respective workouts.
