Three starting Vikings offensive linemen could be cut candidates
Following the Minnesota Vikings' season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Kevin O'Connell made it clear the team needed improvement from the interior offensive line. One Vikings beat reporter believes that the three players who started along the interior Week 1 all have cases to be cut, traded, or resrtructured in 2025.
The Star Tribune's Ben Goessling wrote about the most significant decisions the team will need to make with their roster. Goessling mentioned guards Blake Brandel, Ed Ingram, and center Garrett Bradbury when discussing players who could be cut, traded, or restructured.
On Ingram, who currently has a 2025 cap hit of $3.71 million:
Ingram, 26, lost his starting job in 2024, but he'd be in line for an even higher cap number in 2025, thanks to the NFL's Proven Performance Escalator program that would raise his base salary to $5.2 million for 2025. It seems highly unlikely he'd return at that number; the Vikings would take on only $385,000 of dead money if they cut him.
On Brandel, who currently has a 2025 cap hit of $3.95 million:
If Brandel, 28, is on the roster on the third day of the league year, $1.65 million of his base salary would become guaranteed for 2025. His versatility could mean he stays as a swing lineman, but if the Vikings are prioritizing major offensive line upgrades, they could cut him and recoup $2.58 million of cap space.
And on Bradbury, who currently has a 2025 cap hit of $6.06 million:
This will be an interesting one: Bradbury turns 30 in June, and his struggles against bigger defensive tackles are well-documented. But he's respected for his leadership and communication skills that could help McCarthy if he's the starting quarterback in 2025. The Vikings would save $3.6 million by cutting him, but he also has two void years that could help them restructure his deal if they're not ready to turn things over to 2024 seventh-round pick Michael Jurgens.
Although the Vikings need improvement at all three positions, they will unlikely move on from all three players this year. They still need depth, and it may be difficult to find three starting-level replacements in one offseason.
That said, Ingram seems most likely to be cut or traded. One of the last remaining hopes of the failed 2022 draft class, Ingram was benched for Dalton Risner midway through the season. They could potentially trade the former second-rounder to a team needing offensive line depth for a late-round pick.
Brandel became a full-time starter for the first time in 2024, but the coaching staff has spoken positively about him for years. At worst, the team could restructure him and have Brandel be the sixth offensive lineman who can come off the bench in case of emergency.
Finally, Bradbury has struggled in pass protection for most of his career. Yet he has three years of experience in O'Connell's system and could help McCarthy develop. Fans may not want to hear it, but Bradbury is the most likely of the three to remain a starter in 2025, although he may need to restructure.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp enjoying settling in with new team
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — When it comes to food recommendations in the Seattle area, new Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp is open to suggestions. Just not from fellow newcomer and quarterback Sam Darnold. The veteran quarterback invited Kupp to get dinner with him earlier this offseason, and some of the suggestions caught the 31-year-old wide receiver off guard when recalling the night after the first of two minicamp practices at Virginia Mason Athletic Center, which concluded Wednesday. 'The way he came off was he wanted to go get some fries and chicken strips,' Kupp said on Tuesday. 'Look, I have a 6-year-old. I can bring you his food. I can bring that, and I'll go eat something good. It ended up being fine. He ventured out and was, like, OK. He was at least willing to try some stuff. I may have misread him. We'll see. Time will tell.' Time will also tell how well Kupp fits in with a new franchise after spending each of the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and signing a three-year, $45 million contract with the Seahawks in March. In some ways it's a homecoming for Kupp, who grew up watching the Seahawks, is from Yakima, Washington and played at Eastern Washington. He still has plenty to acclimate to, though, after all that time with an NFC West rival. Kupp referred to joining a new team as 'exciting.' 'It's been a long time since I learned a new offense, a long time since I sat in a meeting and had to put a face on the board and what's this guy's name?' Kupp said. 'That's a stressful situation. That's a high-stress situation. It's good, though. I'm excited about what we're doing, and it is fun.' He's eager to work with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, whose system has some similarities to what is run by the Rams and their coach, Sean McVay, as well as San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and his scheme. Kubiak was the 49ers passing game coordinator in 2023 when Darnold was also with the team. 'There's going to be the nuances here and there, things like that, but a lot of similar stuff, a lot of similar ideas in how you're attacking a defense,'' Kupp said. 'I believe in this offense and what it takes to make it successful and the detail that's involved with it. … There's definitely some stuff that accentuates the things that I've done in the past.'' All Kupp has done in the past is produce — and more recently, struggle a bit to stay on the field. Each of the past three seasons, Kupp has failed to play in more than 12 games, which in part led the Rams to let the Super Bowl 56 MVP leave in free agency. Kupp said that he felt good physically, and he looked the part each day of minicamp when running routes. He faces quite the task in adding to a receiver room that is paced by third-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is fresh off his first 1,000-yard season. Veteran receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is also on the team, and he spent half of last season playing under Kubiak when the latter was the New Orleans Saints' offensive coordinator. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has been impressed by both wideouts' approaches to learning Seattle's offense. 'They're attacking every day, man,' Macdonald said. 'Just trying to master the playbook, all the formations, all the route steps, all the timing. If you have that spirit about you every day, I mean, it's contagious, one, with the rest of the room, with the rest of the offense, the whole team. It makes it fun to go to work and enjoy the process. But, of course, that's going to expedite your growth when you have guys like that.' Still, Kupp recognizes he has much learning to do between now and when the Seahawks open their season on Sept. 7 against the 49ers. It's in part why he's already spent a bunch of time in Macdonald's office picking his brain. Kupp has enjoyed settling in with a new team and that the internal belief is what has resonated with him most. 'For any of this stuff to work, for all the goals and all the things we want to set out to achieve, it's the understanding that we're going to ultimately achieve it together,' Kupp said. 'It's going to be playing for each other. … Man, what can I do to be better for the guy next to me? This is a place that guys embody that, and they believe it. I think that makes it a fun place to come into, a fun place to come work.' ___ AP NFL:
NBC Sports
3 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Free agent CB Shaquill Griffin to visit Raiders
Free agent cornerback Shaquill Griffin is visiting the Raiders, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports. Griffin, 29, played for Raiders coach Pete Carroll in Seattle, spending four seasons there after the Seahawks made him a third-round pick in 2017. Griffin took a free agent visit to Seattle earlier this offseason but did not sign. Griffin, whose only Pro Bowl came in 2019 with the Seahawks, spent last season with the Vikings. He appeared in all 17 games with three starts for the Vikings in 2024, recording two interceptions and six passes defensed, while playing 572 defensive snaps and three on special teams. He also has spent time with Jacksonville, Houston and Carolina. Griffin has appeared in 106 games with 82 starts in his career, totaling 70 passes defensed with nine interceptions.
USA Today
9 hours ago
- USA Today
What questions do the Vikings need to answer this season to be successful?
What questions do the Vikings need to answer this season to be successful? The Minnesota Vikings exceeded expectations in 2024, going 14-3 with Sam Darnold at quarterback. If not for a historical divisional race, they would have otherwise had the NFC's No. 1 seed and held homefield advantage in the playoffs. Instead, they were the NFC's 5th seed, traveled to Arizona to face the Los Angeles Rams, and got smoked 27-9. Losing by a combined score of 58-18 in the season's final two games left a bitter taste in Vikings fans' mouths about the season. But the team's brain trust, led by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell, entered the offseason determined not to let that happen again. 31 of the league's 32 teams are "losers" by the year's end. How they fought and performed in their final games is often more important than just the result. The Vikings were aggressive in free agency and helped bolster their offense in the draft. Yet many questions remain. The development of young players at key positions could be the difference between being a true contender and missing the playoffs. However, getting a positive resolution on those young players could set the Vikings up for their first long-term Super Bowl window in five decades. Here are three questions the Vikings need to answer in 2025 for their season to be successful. Can J.J. McCarthy Live Up To the Expectations Of Being A Franchise Quarterback? Honestly, this is the question surrounding the Vikings in 2025. Fans may actually be more willing to see the team go 9-8 with McCarthy slinging the ball around the field than go 13-4 with him as nothing more than a Teddy Bridgewater-type. Everyone knows about McCarthy's season-ending meniscus injury that held him out of his rookie season. Darnold may have temporarily set the expectations too high before crashing back to Earth in the season's final two games. It will be tough for McCarthy to surpass Darnold's 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. But if the 22-year-old quarterback can stay composed in big moments and not let the moment become too big for him, that in itself will be a step in the right direction. He appears to have the intangibles. If his mental and physical traits can mesh into functional quarterback ability, the Vikings will be set for the next decade-plus at the position. Can Kevin O'Connell Finally Produce A Reliable Running Game? One glaring blemish on O'Connell's time in Minnesota has been the lack of a sustainable running game. The Vikings ranked 19th in rushing offense in 2024, the highest in O'Connell's three seasons, but they still only gained 4.1 yards per carry, 26th in the league. Not being able to run the ball compounded Darnold's meltdown against the Detroit Lions and Rams to end the season. Because the Vikings couldn't take pressure off him and run the ball, they had to go down with the ball in his hands. That wouldn't be the ideal situation for McCarthy. Even if he lives up to expectations, the Vikings don't want to be forced to be one-dimensional with their first-time starting quarterback. Minnesota beefed up the offensive line with Will Fries, Ryan Kelly, and Donovan Jackson. They traded for running back Jordan Mason. Now they have to put it all together to create the sort of run game that can be a counter-punch when the Vikings' bread-and-butter, the pass game, is neutralized. Is the Cornerback Room Able to Keep Up With the Rest Of the Defense? The Vikings received outstanding play from Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel last year. Those two are expected to provide the same standard as EDGE rushers this season as the team continues to bring fellow EDGE Dallas Turner along. To help provide more disruption inside, the Vikings signed veteran defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Minnesota is hoping to see Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace, Jr. man the middle of the defense. Safeties Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus know the defense as well as anyone. But what about the cornerbacks? The Vikings allowed Shaq Griffin and Stephon Gilmore to walk in free agency. Minnesota re-signed Byron Murphy, Jr., who had six interceptions in 2024, and signed former Philadelphia Eagles corner Isaiah Rodgers. But will that be enough? 2023 third-round pick Mekhi Blackmon had a promising rookie season, but an ACL tear early in training camp ended his 2024 season before it began. Dwight McGlothern had a good preseason in 2024 and was signed as an undrafted free agent, but can the Vikings count on him to come off the bench and contribute if needed? There is speculation that the Vikings could pursue Jalen Ramsey or Jaire Alexander to strengthen their cornerback room. But Ramsey is 30, and the draft compensation and contract may not make sense at his age. Alexander has struggled with injuries for years. Maybe the Vikings believe in their room and are comfortable with who they have. Until the season begins, the possibility of adding another veteran via trade remains on the table.
