Vikings

RandBall: On offensive line, Vikings open to second-guessing

Is it drafting, player development or patience that has kept the Vikings from getting better in the trenches?

By Michael Rand

The Minnesota Star Tribune

January 22, 2026 at 5:36PM

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) is tripped up by Ed Ingram (67) in the first quarter of a 2022 game. (Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

It is important to remember what Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said early in the 2024 season as former first-round pick Sam Darnold was in the midst of a career renaissance during his one year in Minnesota.

“I just think as a whole, there’s not enough emphasis put on the organization’s role in the development of the position,” O’Connell said on the Rich Eisen Show, “meaning I believe that organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations.”

We can certainly apply that to the long lens through which the Vikings and O’Connell might still be viewing the uneven — and often delayed by injury — development of quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Could we also, though, twist it a little bit and ask this: Do organizations fail young offensive linemen before young offensive linemen fail organizations?

The answer to that question might unpack the riddle of how the Vikings still haven’t solved their offensive line, particularly on the interior, despite constant attempts at overhauling it.

La Velle E. Neal III and I talked about the importance of getting it right on Thursday’s Daily Delivery podcast.

Here, at the start of today’s 10 things to know, I’ll play a little what-if game that asks where we should really put the blame for the offensive line’s continued woes.

I’ll focus on Pro Football Focus grades which, while imperfect, offer at least some semblance of an apples-to-apples comparison.

This iteration of the Vikings’ interior offensive line overhaul started in the middle of the 2023 season when they traded guard Ezra Cleveland to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick. Cleveland, PFF’s No. 8-graded guard in 2022 with the Vikings, was in the midst of a subpar 2023 season and was due to be a free agent at the end of the year when his rookie contract expired. Jacksonville subsequently signed him to a three-year deal with cap hits of $3.6 million in 2024, $5.4 million in 2025 and $10.9 million coming up in 2026. He’s made 31 regular-season starts for the Jaguars in the last two seasons, grading out a solid No. 26 and 28 among guards in those years.
The overhaul continued in earnest last offseason. The Vikings traded 2022 second-round pick Ed Ingram to the Texans for a sixth-round pick. Ingram, another guard, had been a disappointment for much of his tenure and lost his starting job midway through 2024. With the Texans — like the Jaguars, a playoff team this year — Ingram flourished as PFF’s No. 13-graded guard. He’s a free agent now and could command roughly $10 million a year on the open market.
Veteran guard Dalton Risner, a productive Vikings player who replaced Ingram in the starting lineup and graded as PFF’s No. 8 guard in 2024, was not brought back in 2025. He went to the Bengals on a $1.3 million deal and was solid once again.
Meanwhile, Garrett Bradbury departed in free agency for New England last offseason on a two-year, $9.5 million deal. His PFF numbers (No. 32 out of 41 qualified centers) in 2025 were not great, but he has earned praise in New England as the Patriots prepare for the AFC title game.
To replace this group, the Vikings drafted left guard Donovan Jackson in the first round while signing Will Fries at the other guard spot and Ryan Kelly at center. Jackson passed the eye test more than the PFF test, grading No. 51 out of 61 qualified guards this year. Fries (whose contract included $34 million guaranteed when he signed) was No. 44. Kelly, whose two-year, $18 million deal included $9.25 million guaranteed, played well when healthy but was greatly limited by concussions.
At their 2025 production levels, the Vikings would have been much better off with Cleveland, Ingram, Risner and Bradbury. Ingram and Cleveland in particular are cases where we can question the Vikings’ system and player development in wondering why they have flourished elsewhere. It could help explain why offensive line coach Chris Kuper was let go recently.
And now the Vikings go into the 2026 offseason with renewed offensive line questions. Will Christian Darrisaw be fully healthy and able to combine with Brian O’Neill to give the Vikings stalwart bookend tackles? Is Fries primed for a better season? Will Jackson take a step forward? What’s the plan at center given Kelly’s salary and concussion history? As the Vikings consider McCarthy and his trajectory, the five players protecting whomever the 2026 QB is are of the utmost importance.
The Gophers women’s basketball team got a much-needed quality win Wednesday, Jan. 21, at Oregon.
Also on Thursday’s podcast, La Velle and I talked about whether Indiana’s football ascent creates pressure or an opportunity for the Gophers.
Andrew Krammer and I will have more Vikings talk on Friday’s show, including a discussion of Brian Flores. The defensive coordinator is back with the Vikings, at least for now.

about the writer

Michael Rand

Columnist / Reporter

Michael Rand is the Minnesota Star Tribune's Digital Sports Senior Writer and host/creator of the Daily Delivery podcast. In 25 years covering Minnesota sports at the Minnesota Star Tribune, he has seen just about everything (except, of course, a Vikings Super Bowl).