Sam Darnold is playing like an MVP candidate early, leading the NFL in touchdown passes through three weeks and guiding the Minnesota Vikings to their first 3-0 record in eight seasons.
The Vikings must do a better job of protecting him.
After taking just 1 sack in Week 1, Darnold has been sacked three or more times in each of the Vikings’ last two games. They have been able to overcome so far, but Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department suggests hedging their bets against the current weakest leak up front.
“Ed Ingram has continued to struggle this year, and while Dalton Risner could be coming off injured reserve soon to provide some help, there’s no guarantee Risner will be ready to go by the time he’s eligible to return or that he’ll be the same player post-injury,” BR’s scouts wrote on September 23. “So it’d be a smart move to add another veteran guard like [Mark] Glowinski just in case.”
Ingram has had his moments. They have been too few and far between, though.
Glowinski, 32, was a fourth-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. He joined the Indianapolis Colts in 2018 and spent four seasons there.
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound guard spent the 2022 and 2023 campaigns with the New York Giants.
He started six of his 13 appearances in 2023. But he has started 96 of 124 games in his career, including 62 of 64 games from 2019 through 2022. The veteran is coming off a three-year, $18.3 million contract and has earned $34.3 million in career.
Pro Football Focus gave Glowinski a 63.3 grade for 2023. That is his lowest mark since the 2019 season and the fourth-lowest mark of his career.
It would still be an upgrade for the Vikings.
Insider Calls Out Former 2nd-Round Pick
The Vikings have few problem areas so far. That makes Ingram’s poor performance stand out for an otherwise sound group. ESPN’s Kevin Siefert believes Ingram is the Vikings’ “biggest issue.”
“There haven’t been many issues for a team that ranks fourth in the NFL in both scoring (26 points per game) and overall offensive efficiency (72.03),” Siefert wrote on September 24. “But if we’re nitpicking, the Vikings continue to cover for subpar play from right guard Ed Ingram. Through three weeks, Ingram ranks 54th in pass block win rate (82%) and 44th in run block win rate (68.1%) among guards.”
Glowinski’s 2023 season grade would be the best mark of Ingram’s career, including in 2024.
A former second-round pick in 2021, Ingram has been durable. He has started all 35 of his appearances out of a possible 37 games since entering the league. He has never graded out higher than his 59.5 mark from PFF in 2022.
Ingram is in Year 3 of a four-year, $5.9 million pact, so the Vikings are not breaking the bank to roster him.
Risner is a logical candidate to replace Ingram if the Vikings make a switch.
Dalton Risner Could Make Mark Glowinski Unnecessary for Sam Darnold, Vikings
“The Vikings could mix in veteran Dalton Risner when he is activated from injured reserve, but if the worst thing you can say about an offense is that one interior offensive lineman is underperforming, you’re probably in pretty good shape,” Seifert wrote.
Risner re-signed with the Vikings in May, inking a one-year, $1.4 million deal. He went on injured reserve in August with a back injury.
He is eligible to return in Week 5 versus the New York Jets.
Risner is “doing well” in his recovery, per KTSP’s Darren Wolfson on the “Strictly Vikings” podcast on September 18. However, the 29-year-old Risner may not be much of an upgrade over Ingram.
Risner has only lined up at left guard in his career, save for some snaps on the right side and left tackle on field goal protection units in 2020 and 2022, respectively, per PFF.
He also earned a 57.0 grade in 2023. That is the worst grade of his career.
