Former Minnesota Vikings Starting Lineman Looks Like a Cap Casualty
This offseason the Minnesota Vikings are among the teams with the most cap space in the NFL. That’s a good thing for them because they have a significant number of free agents departing.
You can also bet that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will look to create additional cap space as he shuffles more players off the roster. Minnesota did a good amount of heavy lifting with much less last season. A former starting lineman could be among those sent packing.
Ed Ingram may be on the MN Vikings chopping block
Right now one of the most imperative places the Minnesota Vikings must fix this offseason is on the interior lines. Ed Ingram used to start at right guard for Kevin O’Connell, but The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis thinks he might be gone after being benched again this season.
“Minnesota’s offseason will revolve around revamping the trenches. Ingram is not a viable option if the Vikings are committed to vastly improved play. Cutting him makes sense.
The Vikings could save a minimum of about $3.3 million on the cap with the move. That number could actually increase, depending on whether Ingram receives a proven performance escalator. Minnesota already has close to $60 million in cap space for 2025, so this move is not a necessity. That said, the Vikings need to upgrade their interior offensive line, interior defensive line, cornerback and running back. More money to spend will help.”
Lewis on Ed Ingram (The Athletic)
The reality is that Ingram has now been benched in multiple seasons. The Vikings already need improved play and have determined he’s not part of that reality.
After being taken with a second-round pick in 2022, Ingram started all 17 games as a rookie. He was then bumped by Dalton Risner in 2023 and started just 15 games. Last season he played in 16 games, but drew just nine starts.
#Niners Maliek Collins (lined up over RG) with a really well timed swipe to beat Ed Ingram and move Darnold. Nick Bosa works all the way around the pocket for the cleanup sack pic.twitter.com/onbVMb7j9E
— NFL Shock (@NFLShock) September 18, 2024
Related: Vikings Allow More Time to Negotiate with Free Agent CB, Not QB…
The writing has been on the wall for a while now when it comes to Ingram. Minnesota danced around bringing Risner back, and even while slow-playing his ability to start, Ingram gave them no choice.
Despite being under contract for the 2025 season, there isn’t much reason to keep him around.
Vikings line changes don’t need to include holdovers
It’s great that Blake Brandel and Ed Ingram are under contract for 2025. It doesn’t mean they need to be part of the roster. The MN Vikings’ guards consistently lacked a push alongside center Garrett Bradbury.
Despite Aaron Jones rushing for a career-high 1,138 yards, he was stuffed in the red zone constantly. O’Connell has never been a coach that leans on the running game, but he can’t ignore it either.
Related: Vikings Had Another Staff Member Hired Away Recently
The Minnesota Vikings must figure out a new path forward at the guard positions. Both Brandel and Ingram came up short, and there’s no reason to put a young quarterback like J.J. McCarthy in behind them. Ingram has been given ample opportunity to figure it out, but it’s time to call a spade a spade.
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