Garrett Bradbury, Blake Brandel Getting Closer to Returning to Vikings' O-Line

Bradbury and Brandel have a chance to play against the Giants if they look good in practice this week.

The Vikings are depleted at two spots on their offensive line as they head into Sunday's playoff-opening game against the Giants. Reinforcements aren't far away, and it's possible — though maybe not likely — that they'll be ready for this weekend's contest.

At right tackle, Oli Udoh is currently in line to start against Kayvon Thibodeaux and company due to Brian O'Neill's season-ending Achilles injury. Blake Brandel, who would presumably be called upon if healthy, is in the final stages of returning from an MCL injury suffered in Week 14 against the Lions.

"Oli is another guy that you can really take a look as his snaps from yesterday,"
O'Connell said on Monday. "He took another big step forward and a guy that talented, that big, that strong, can start gaining confidence, knowing he’s going to be in there for us. We feel really strongly about his growth here in the short term and the work that he’s done leading up to this opportunity."

Kevin O'Connell said a week ago that there's "a very good chance" the Vikings would get Brandel back for the playoffs. This week, he confirmed that Brandel will practice this week, with an official roster move (opening his 21-day window to be activated from IR) coming soon.

Still, it would be a quick turnaround for Brandel to start at RT on Sunday. Typically, players aren't activated until at least a full week after their practice windows are opened. We'll see.

At center, the Vikings are also down to their third-string option. Garrett Bradbury missed the final five games of the season with a back injury, and O'Connell doesn't sound overly optimistic about having his starter back this weekend. It looks like Bradbury will practice this week in some capacity and the Vikings will evaluate from there, but they don't want to rush him back too quickly.

"The hope is that we can get him practicing this week," O'Connell said. "The hope is that we can have him out there, more than likely limited, on Wednesday and then we’ll see if we can build his work in throughout the week and see how he feels. Ultimately, I just want Garrett to give it a go and see if he can turn the corner and possibly help us, but at the same time, I don’t want to put him in a position where he may not be the best or feel like he’s held back at all."

Backup Austin Schlottmann is out for the season with a fibula fracture, so it'll be third-stringer Chris Reed at center if Bradbury can't go. Reed had a rough game when he was thrust into action against the Packers, but looked much more comfortable and capable against the Bears. The Vikings also have veteran Greg Mancz available as depth at the position.

"I thought Chris took a big step forward, having a week of practice to really get under his belt and that communication and dialogue with Kirk," O'Connell said. "As far as Chris with Kirk in that first group, it was much, much smoother so that’s a real positive."

My educated guess is that neither Brandel nor Bradbury will be ready to go by Sunday, meaning Udoh and Reed are in the starting lineup. Then, if the Vikings can beat the Giants again, I'd imagine Brandel and Bradbury would have a more realistic chance of being available the following weekend in the divisional round, likely against the 49ers.

But again, we'll see how the week unfolds.

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