Sep 12, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Blake Brandel (64) warms up before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The more that time passes, the more that things look a little bleak for Blake Brandel, someone who has been a key Viking in recent seasons.
Of course, one thinks of the major investments that took place along the offensive line back in March and April. Huge money got sent to center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries to leave Indiana behind for Minnesota. And then the draft arrived, resulting in the No. 24 selection getting used on left guard Donovan Jackson (someone who has received praise aplenty from Kevin O’Connell).
Key Viking Blake Brandel & The Two-Front War
For a little while, I have been fascinated about the fate of Blake Brandel.
He’s someone who demands a pile of respect. The late-round lineman morphed from college offensive tackle into a do-it-all NFL lineman. He was cut, stashed on the practice squad, and then elevated to the 53. He survived the switch over to the Kevin O’Connell & Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era, eventually grabbing a starting spot through his grittiness, work ethic, and compete.
Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) celebrates with teammate Blake Brandel (64) after scoring a touchdown against the New York Giants during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Unless something very discouraging occurs — an injury to a top lineman — Blake Brandel isn’t getting back into the starting lineup. Not in 2025, at least.
That basic reality brings things around to what kind of job he’s going to have for the upcoming season. The likeliest scenario involves seeing Brandel return to being the NFL version of a utility player in baseball, someone capable of jumping into any number of different positions. The 53-man roster is, by definition, limited in the talent it can contain, which is to say nothing of the reality that not all players dress for games. Having a single player capable of playing multiple positions — especially within a depth role — makes a pile of sense.
The issue is that Mr. Brandel is now battling a two-front war. Put differently, he is facing pressure from those who are higher and lower on the depth chart.
Initially, the additions of Jackson, Kelly, and Fries created pressure for Brandel from a particular direction: the veteran was moving downward on the depth chart. The issue that’s now at play is that several players are trying to continue journeying upward, threatening Brandel’s roster positioning even further.
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
In particular, one thinks of sophomore Michael Jurgens. The backup center did some nice work in the debut preseason game of 2025. He looks very, very likely to be on the final team. So, too, did UDFA guard Joe Huber shine, earning an elite PFF grade sitting at 94.7. Yes, it’s one game, but that’s a phenomenal evaluation.
And then there’s the presence of Justin Skule, someone who is locked-in as the swing tackle. Finally, consider that Walter Rouse appears to have taken a nice step, doing good work in both of training camp alongside the preseason.
Very reasonably, the Vikings could move ahead with an offensive line that looks accordingly:
Christian Darrisaw, LT1
Donovan Jackson, LG1
Ryan Kelly, C1
Will Fries, RG1
Brian O’Neill, RT1
Justin Skule, LT2
Michael Jurgens, C2
Joe Huber, LG/RG2,
Walter Rouse, RT2
What doesn’t get captured within that plausible cluster of o-line talent is the presence of Logan Brown, a promising UDFA tackle. Brown, quite possibly, could prompt the coaching staff to retain ten offensive linemen.
Nov 20, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) and wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) and offensive tackle Blake Brandel (64) and teammates react during the game against the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
What are the implications for Blake Brandel? In mid August, it’s a reasonable question to be asking.
Very commonly, PurplePTSD (and Vikings Territory) has considered the upcoming cap crunch that’s appearing on the Vikings’ horizon. One way of addressing the monstrous debt pile for 2026 is by carrying over a decent amount of open cap room. Currently, the team is sitting on more than $25.5 million. Any that goes unused gets applied to next year’s cap total, helping to alleviate the pressure for next season.
Another way to address the issue is by eschewing high-priced free agents in 2026 in favor of draft picks aplenty. Players operating on rookie contracts often offer tremendous value since they can help while playing on super cheap deals.
So, here goes the theory: trading away Blake Brandel could help on both fronts. He could bring back a late-round selection. Shipping him out would mean putting $3.25 million back into the present-day cap room while draining his scheduled $4.166 million for 2026.
Oct 2, 2022; London, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Blake Brandel (64) during the NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
Blake Brandel entered the NFL in the 2020 NFL Draft, becoming a Viking courtesy of the No. 203 selection. He stands at 6’7″ and weighs 315 pounds. His career has involved 56 NFL games to stand alongside 22 starts. In the NFL, Brandel has picked up snaps at left tackle, left guard, right guard, and as a jumbo tight end.
Predicting whether he makes it onto the final roster is a difficult call as Minnesota works toward their second preseason game of 2025.
The offensive lineman is 28.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
I’m the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]purpleptsd[dot]com. I am Canadian.