Moving Blake Brandel to LT could be 'short-term' answer for Vikings

Does Minnesota have its replacement for Christian Darrisaw on the roster?

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-Imagn Images / Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

The Vikings' replacement for star left tackle Christian Darrisaw could already be on their roster.

Darrisaw suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week's loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football, and he has been one of the better offensive linemen in the NFL, so his production is likely irreplaceable. Unfortunately, Minnesota will now have to turn to a replacement for Darrisaw and figure out who will start for the team in Sunday night's game against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Minnesota sports insider Darren Wolfson was on the latest episode of the Minnesota Sports with Mackey & Judd podcast, and he thinks the answer that makes the most sense could be guard Blake Brandel.

"I don't foresee it being Walter Rouse, I don't foresee it being Dalton Risner — not at left tackle. Now, Risner getting in there — he is ready to go, the back feels good," Wolfson said. "If we want to compile the best five offensive linemen, we can certainly make a case that Risner is among the five. Short-term — moving Brandel to left tackle makes all sorts of sense. Risner to his natural left guard position."

Brandel played 273 snaps at left tackle for the Vikings in 2022, so he has experience at the position. He earned a 55.3 grade that season from Pro Football Focus (PFF). He received a 58.5 pass-blocking grade and a 55.4 run-blocking grade.

He has seemingly found a home at left guard this season, earning a career-high 64.9 PFF grade. Therefore, the Vikings might want to find a different answer to replace Darrisaw long-term, and Wolfson thinks it could be via free agency.

"I will tell you though, they are exploring some outside options. This is more under the reckless speculation umbrella," Wolfson said. "The name I would keep an eye on, more than any other — it's not David Bakhtiari, it's D.J. Humphries, long-time starter in Arizona."

Wolfson mentioned that Humphries suffered a torn ACL on Dec. 31, but he is now fully cleared, and he visited the New York Giants last week. He played at least 500 snaps in five straight seasons and earned a PFF grade higher than 62.5 every year. At 30 years old, he could be a low-risk, high-reward option for Minnesota.