The Minnesota Vikings invested resources into the offensive line in the offseason, hoping to help keep J.J. McCarthy upright throughout the 2025 season.
While a line of Brian O’Neill, Will Fries, Ryan Kelly, Donovan Jackson, and Christian Darrisaw looks borderline elite on paper, the team has yet to see it in action. Instead, they have had to play guys like Justin Skule, Walter Rouse, and Michael Jurgens in place of injured starters.
Every team experiences injuries. Still, it’s become evident how much of a difference in talent there is between Minnesota’s starters and reserves.
Current Roster Situation
Besides the eight linemen already mentioned, who else do the Vikings have?
The short answer is: not a whole lot.
They have 2020 sixth-round pick Blake Brandel at guard. They also have two undrafted rookies, Joe Huber and Zeke Correll, as well as sixth-year offensive tackle Matt Nelson. However, Correll and Nelson are on IR. They also have three other linemen on the practice squad.
While the Vikings theoretically have depth, Sunday night gave everyone reason to be concerned.
The Blind Side
Minnesota is trying to give star left tackle Darrisaw enough time to recover from his ACL injury. Still, they greatly miss his presence.
Skule is trying his best to protect McCarthy. However, he has seemed outmatched in the first two weeks of a young season before he left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. He exited Sunday night’s game a quarter after Kelly was unable return from the locker room after halftime for the same reason.
What did this leave McCarthy on his blind side? A combination of Jurgens, Jackson, and Rouse for the left side of the offensive line, a combination that has a total of one start and two prior appearances. Donovan Jackson had the lone start, and he was Minnesota’s first-round pick this year.
Where Is Brandel?
Brandel hasn’t been a starting-quality lineman in his career, but he still might be the best Darrisaw replacement. He has some experience at left tackle, having helped back up an injured Darrisaw in 2022 and 2024.
Brandel also seems like the only reserve offensive lineman with consistent NFL experience. He’s not always the best blocker, but he has shown more potential, having played in nine fewer games but with five more starts than Skule.
There’s no true replacement for Darrisaw. Still, having someone who has stepped into that role before and not having the chance to do it again is a head-scratcher.
The Remedy
Every season for the Vikings seems to boil down to whether they have a remedy for the line situation. While every team experiences injuries, only some can mitigate the drop-off between the starters and reserves.
The Vikings either need to put in guys like Brandel or trade for a player like Liam Eichenberg, who has played center and the left side of the O-line. He’s on the PUP list due to an undisclosed injury, but he would give the team yet another experienced player on a battered front.
Eichenberg might also be available for the Vikings. He was listed on PFF’s trade candidates during training camp.
However, there may only be one proper remedy to the poison of Minnesota’s offensive line, Jason Mraz may have declared in 2002, “The remedy is the experience, this is a dangerous liaison.”
Hopefully for the Vikings offense, these “dangerous liaisons” lead to a less hurried QB who has more time to throw and break games wide open in the future.