With left tackle Christian Darrisaw sidelined by a season-ending knee injury, right guard Ed Ingram of the Minnesota Vikings appeared to have increased job security. Internally, the Vikings’ best course of action was to have Dalton Risner replace Ingram at left guard and transfer left guard Blake Brandel to left tackle.
However, Brandel will stay at left guard after Jacksonville Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson was acquired in a trade, which puts more pressure on Ingram to perform better or risk being benched for Risner. Ben Goessling, a beat reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune, has insisted that Risner, who might make his season debut against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9, is vying for Ingram’s place. According to Goessling, a major reason for the Robinson trade was the Vikings’ retention of the option to replace Ingram with Risner. One important aspect of this transaction is not being tied to Ed Ingram. In an October 30 episode of the “Access Vikings” podcast, Goessling stated, “I believe it enables you to keep Blake Brandel at left guard and possibly put Dalton Risner at right [guard].”
Considering some of the rumors we’ve heard regarding Ingram’s short leash… In that sense, I believe [the trade] makes a lot of sense. We’ve heard that Risner has a good to very good chance of making the starting lineup at some time. With a 48.9 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade after eight weeks, Ingram is ranked 73rd out of 77 qualifying guards this season. Despite playing one fewer game than several other struggling guards, he has given up the fourth-highest number of pressures (20) at the position. In the rest of the NFL, the Vikings’ dedication to him is unmatched. Ingram, a 2022 second-round selection, leads the league in pressures allowed and has not missed a game or been benched. But with 40 games played, it could be time for Minnesota to bench Ingram, who is having the worst season by PFF standards.
Dalton Risner is a part of the Vikings’ plans, according to O’Connell.
