Vikings activate tackle Blake Brandel from injured reserve before playoff opener vs. Giants

Brandel tore a knee ligament in the Dec. 11 loss at Detroit but returned to practice this week.

January 14, 2023 at 10:19PM
Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Blake Brandel (64) blocks against Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Blake Brandel started three games at left tackle for the Vikings earlier this season but hasn’t played since getting hurt Dec. 11 at Detroit. (Duane Burleson, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Vikings activated tackle Blake Brandel from injured reserve Saturday, giving themselves additional help along the offensive line for Sunday's wild-card playoff game against the Giants.

Brandel tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee on Dec. 11 in the Vikings' loss to the Lions and missed the rest of the regular season, but he was cleared to return to practice this past week, and coach Kevin O'Connell sounded optimistic about having Brandel ready for the game. While Oli Udoh could continue to start at right tackle with Brian O'Neill out, Brandel gives the Vikings another option at the position in case of injury or ineffectiveness.

To make room for Brandel on the roster, the Vikings waived center Greg Mancz after Garrett Bradbury made it through the week of practice looking ready to return from the back injury that has kept him out since Dec. 4. Bradbury will start at center, O'Connell said on Friday, with Chris Reed — who had stepped in at center after Austin Schlottmann broke his left fibula at Green Bay on Jan. 1 — serving as Bradbury's backup.

The Vikings offensive line could be tested on Sunday against a Giants team that blitzes more than any in the league and ranked seventh in the league in pressure rate this season. The Giants blitzed Kirk Cousins on 27 of his 52 dropbacks in the Vikings' Dec. 24 victory over New York at U.S. Bank Stadium.

about the writer

Ben Goessling

Sports reporter

Ben Goessling has covered the Vikings since 2012, first at the Pioneer Press and ESPN before becoming the Star Tribune's lead Vikings reporter in 2017. He was named one of the top NFL beat writers by the Pro Football Writers of America in 2024, after honors in the AP Sports Editors and National Headliner Awards contests in 2023.

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