Dalton Risner won the Vikings' starting left guard spot shortly after signing last season, but he wasn't brought back for the same role this year. Instead, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell, Risner will "compete" for a guard spot at either left or right guard this season.
O'Connell was a guest on the Rich Eisen Show on Monday and in a discussion about his plans for developing rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, he revealed his plans for the interior offensive line — having Risner compete with Blake Brandel at left guard and with Ed Ingram at right guard.
"We feel really fortunate to have the talented group around that quarterback position. Both at the skill players, with Justin (Jefferson), Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson coming back and adding Aaron Jones was huge for us to pair with Ty Chandler," O'Connell said of the supporting cast surrounding whoever will start at quarterback for the Vikings. "And then I think our offensive line has really been solidified obviously with the two tackles we have, we bring back Dalton Risner, who's going to compete like crazy at the guard spot with both (Ingram) and Blake Brandel, and then Garrett Bradbury has been Mr. Reliable for us in the middle.
"Anytime you're transitioning at the quarterback position, to have a veteran center to really drive that communication and make sure we're all on the same page. It's a good setup. "
That means the Vikings will start camp with Brandel as the starting left guard, Ingram as the starting right guard, and Risner will be competing with both to take one of their spots.
Risner joined the Vikings on a one-year deal ahead of Week 3 last season and took over the starting left guard role in the team's Week 7 win over the San Francisco 49ers. According to Pro Football Focus, Risner allowed 30 total pressures and zero sacks last season. The 28-year-old was an unsigned free agent until coming to terms with the Vikings on another one-year deal in late May.
Brandel is a fourth-year lineman who has started five games since the Vikings drafted him in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. Ingram — a second-round selection in 2022 — has started all but two games in his career but has struggled, allowing 16 sacks and 105 total pressures in two seasons.
