Vikings trade isn't remotely enough to protect Sam Darnold, and the stats prove it

The Minnesota Vikings have reinforcements with left tackle Christian Darrisaw out for the season with a knee injury. They made the move to add former Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Cam Robinson for a conditional 2026 draft pick. 

That’s great value for a massive need as the Vikings need to get back on track. They’ve lost the last two games after opening the season 5-0. The hype has died down, reality has set in, the Vikings need to get back on track or the Detroit Lions will run away with the division. 

Adding Robinson was important because it kept them from having to make major adjustments with the offensive line. It’s more of a short-term solution that you hope pans out well given that the former Jaguar is a free agent after the 2024 season. And the Vikings are certainly gambling with Robinson, especially with how he's performed of late. 

Vikings-Cam Robinson trade is riskier than the name brand might seem

As big as it was for the Vikings to get an immediate replacement for Darrisaw to finish out the season, Robinson might not be as reliable as they need him to be. Since 2020, he hasn’t played a full season. He missed three games in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons before getting sidelined for eight games a season ago.

He’s also already missed one game in the 2024 campaign with a concussion, but did play in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers. But needless to say, he's not been the picture of health or staying on the field. What's more concerning is that, when he's been on the field, his performance has been far from elite.

According to PFF ($) with a hat-tip to SI, his ranks according to PFF grading over the last four seasons haven’t been spectacular. Since 2021, he’s ranked 19th, 29th, 16th and is currently ranked 32nd for offensive tackles by PFF. That's not horrendous but it's nothing in the same realm as Darrisaw's performance, especially with Robinson also not grading out well as a run-blocker.

The Vikings made the move they need to continue to compete in a tough division, but only time will tell if the move will be a well or poorly calculated risk.