Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips raved about 2020 sixth-round draft pick Blake Brandel. A career backup, Brandel was slated to step into the starting left guard role vacated with 2023 starter Dalton Risner lingering in free agency.
Risner sought a fair market deal. Phillips’ comments hinted the team had moved on.
After the first session of OTAs, however, the Vikings and Dalton are reuniting on a one-year deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on May 29.
Additional terms of the deal were not immediately available. But the move means all five starters from the league’s third-best pass-blocking unit and 10th-best run group, per Pro Football Focus, returns. Risner dropped a fitting one-word reaction to the news.
“SKOL!!!,” Risner posted on X on May 29, along with several eyeball emojis and a highlight reel of himself from last season.
He followed that up with a post he captioned in a Michael Jordan-esque “I’m back”, which also featured an image of himself in uniform in front of his locker.
Risner joined the Vikings last season after four years with the Denver Broncos.
A second-round pick in the 2019 draft, he had started every game of his career before starting 11 of his 15 appearances last season. He joined the team in September, leaving him to play catch-up with his teammates.
That familiarity and getting back in the fold sooner this year should bode well for the line’s cohesion, especially with a new battery at quarterback and running back.
Dalton Risner Sought ‘Starting Guard Contract’
The Vikings will have a new quarterback under center this season. Whether it’s Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy, they will be handed off to a new running back after former Green Bay Packers star Aaron Jones signed in free agency. That makes the continuity up front paramount.
Risner’s teammate Christian Darrisaw was certainly rooting for the veteran’s return.
The left tackle shared a picture of the twosome getting into their stances for a play. There was no caption with the image though.
“Just In case anyone was wondering,” Risner said in an X post on March 12. “I’ve started 73 games over 5 years in the league… missing only 4 games due to injury… earning the starting spot amongst 3 different coaching staffs… I’ve never asked for a bag, simply just a starting guard contract.”
Risner has banked $11.7 million in career football earnings, per Sportrac.
He signed a one-year, $3 million pact last season, and Spotrac projected him to command a three-year, $30.2 million contract on the open market. His actual deal will at least fall short of the length and could fall short on the monetary value too.
Risner ranked as PFF’s 32nd pass blocker and 102nd run blocker among guards last season. Another short, low-cost deal could be a sign that Brandel isn’t completely out as a starter.
Vikings Avoid Big Risk Along Offensive Line By Bringing Back Dalton Risner
The Vikings have meticulously recalibrated their roster this offseason. From quarterback to running back and even their front seven on defense, there will be plenty of new faces. They will need to adjust to their new teammates and schemes.
Brandel has started five of his 39 games in the NFL. He has logged no more than a 48% share of the offensive snaps in any season, per Pro Football Reference.
Brandel ranked as PFF’s 33rd-best run blocker and 84th-best pass blocker at guard.
He only logged 163 snaps to Risner’s 745 snaps last season. But Brandel had the confidence of his OC and has proven to be a versatile member of the offensive line. Still, the Vikings avoided the risk of disrupting the continuity up front by bringing Risner back.
Keeping Brandel in a more familiar role also maintains depth at multiple positions intact. The Vikings still have the option to start him if need be too.
