The Minnesota Vikings have referred to their current state of NFL existence as a competitive rebuild, which is apparently a phase that will continue through 2024.
A conversation about competitiveness in the National Football League typically starts and ends with the quarterback position, as the Vikings’ situation does. Sam Darnold, a top-three bust with the New York Jets turned backup with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, is essentially a $10 million placeholder for rookie and No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy.
But quarterback is far from the only position Minnesota needs to address to compete an NFC North Division with two 2023 playoff teams in the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, as well as a 7-10 Chicago Bears squad that drafted two elite prospects in the top 10 a few months ago (Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze) after acquiring two Pro Bowlers (Keenan Allen and D’Andre Swift) via trade and free agency, respectively.
One of those positions is offensive guard, where third-year player Ed Ingram will join disgruntled former free agent Dalton Risner on the Vikings’ interior. David Kenyon of Bleacher Report on Sunday, July 14, predicted Ingram as the team’s “biggest bust” of the upcoming season, despite his status as a former second-round pick playing on a four-year contract worth just $6 million in total.
“A two-year starter in Minnesota, Ed Ingram is entering a crucial third season,” Kenyon wrote. “He’s yielded 100 pressures and 16 sacks so far, according to Pro Football Focus. As the Vikings begin to build around J.J. McCarthy, they probably won’t have as much patience for Ingram next offseason if he has another subpar year.”
Ed Ingram Improved as Pass Blocker Last Season, Regressed as Run Blocker
Despite a middling year for Ingram — in which he ranked 38th out of 79 players at his position who saw enough snaps to qualify, based on PFF’s advanced analytics grading formula — he actually improved rather dramatically from his rookie campaign to Year 2.
Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated’s Fan Nation put the first year of Ingram’s career in perspective as part of an article published in July 2023.
“Ingram fit right into the Vikings’ interior offensive line by playing well as a run-blocker and struggling mightily in pass protection,” Ragatz wrote. “He earned a 42.6 PFF pass blocking grade that ranked 62nd out of 65 guards who played at least 500 snaps. Ingram allowed more pressures (63) than any other offensive lineman in football and surrendered 11 sacks, third-most in the league.”
Ingram was an improved pass blocker in 2023, earning a grade of 60.9 and allowing 5 sacks as opposed to 11, per PFF. However, his run blocking regressed from a grade of 63.4 two years ago to 59.1 last season.
The one positive thing Ingram has been consistently over his first two NFL campaigns is healthy. He has played in and started 32 of a possible 34 regular-season game over that stretch, per Pro Football Reference, and has also contributed 142 special teams snaps.
Dalton Risner Back With Vikings on One-Year Deal Opposite Ed Ingram
Circumstances at the guard position opposite Ingram aren’t great either, where Minnesota has landed on Risner for the second year in a row amid what appears like obvious hesitation.
Risner was a solid enough addition to the team ahead of Week 3 after he went through his first unrestricted free agency period that offseason unsigned. Risner began his career as a second-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2019, where he played the first four seasons of his career.
Although Risner was never elite in Denver, he was reliable and a consistent starter. He appeared in and started 62 of 64 regular-season games for the Broncos before hitting the free-agent market.
Due to the lack of interest in Risner around the league, for whatever reason(s), he inked a one-year deal with Minnesota for $3 million. He proved a quality pass blocker on the interior, grading out at 67.4, per PFF, though his run blocking left much to be desired at a grade of 50.0. Risner finished the season as the 46th-ranked guard among the 79 qualifiers, eight spots behind Ingram.
He again entered free agency in 2024 and again went unsigned until the Vikings brought him back in late May, roughly two and a half months after he was eligible to sign with any team in the NFL, on a one-year discount of $2.41 million.
Risner was vocally unhappy with his contract situation, describing himself in an April interview as “undervalued.”
