The Minnesota Vikings kick off their 2025 NFL campaign by hosting the Houston Texans on Saturday, Aug. 9, at U.S. Bank Stadium. Of course, Skol Nation will primarily be focused on second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy. But second, third and even fourth-stringers will dominate most of the snaps as they jostle to make their respective 53-man rosters.
While McCarthy will command much of the attention, Blake Brandel is another Vikings player worth monitoring, albeit for completely different reasons. Minnesota's moves in free agency and the draft this offseason tell us that overhauling the interior offensive line was a point of emphasis. However, doing so has also created a positional logjam. Consequently, there will be casualties, and the veteran guard may be one of them if he fares poorly against the Texans.
Blake Brandel's fate with the Vikings hinges on preseason opener vs. Texans
Any goodwill Brandel built with the Vikings ostensibly went out the window when the club signed ex-Indianapolis Colts blockers Will Fries and Ryan Kelly. Minnesota invested over $100 million in contract money in the mentioned reinforcements. Then, roughly a month later, spending a first-round selection on Second-Team All-American Donovan Jackson and adding undrafted rookie Joe Huber brought more competition.
Suddenly, Brandel has seemingly gone from every-down contributor in 2024 to fringe reserve with an uncertain future in Minnesota less than seven months later. He has no more guaranteed money on the three-year, $9.5 million deal he signed last March. His job is no longer secure to the point that day-to-day performance could determine how the Vikings evaluate him, putting significant weight on every rep.
Brandel logged a 100 percent offensive snap share rate one season and is fighting for a spot on the depth chart the next. It speaks to the volatility of being a professional athlete; life comes at you fast. The league average career span is 3.3 years, which he's impressively exceeded as a former sixth-round pick.
There might not be space for Brandel on the roster
With Fries, Kelly, Jackson and Huber in town, Brandel's services aren't as necessary to the Vikings. Minnesota might not have said so with their words, but they told us so with actions. Otherwise, why splurge to upgrade the group up front?
Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded Brandel as the No. 98-ranked player out of 136 qualified guards last season. He allowed a whopping 41 pressures and seven sacks while committing 11 penalties. In other words, you can see why the Vikings felt the need to upgrade from him.