Vikings: A $52 million Pro Bowl lineman was added to the roster to replace the “risky player.”
If the Minnesota Vikings don’t provide the quarterback they have under center enough protection, all of their attempts to locate the franchise’s future quarterback may be in vain.
Luckily for the Vikings, Pro Football Focus ranked their pass-blocking performance from the previous season as the third-best. However, they may be looking to replace Blake Brandel, the left guard Dalton Risner’s current replacement, as they have allowed him to linger in the free agency wilderness.
Matt Holder of Bleacher Report advises the Vikings to try out free agency Laken Tomlinson of the New York Jets.
Holder stated on April 7 that “Blake Brandel is currently penciled in as the team’s starting left guard.” With only five career starts under his belt, the 2020 sixth-round selection is a dangerous player to depend on to safeguard the franchise’s future. At this point in the game, Tomlinson—who has 138 career starts at left guard—is among Minnesota’s finest experienced choices.
Perhaps what sets Tomlinson apart the most is his availability.
Tomlinson, a 2015 first-round selection by the Detroit Lions, has only ever missed one game in his professional career. Since missing that one game during the 2017 season, he has started every game that has been played.
Laken Tomlinson Could Be a Durable Veteran Added by the Vikings
Tomlinson played for the San Francisco 49ers for five seasons after leaving the Lions. In 2019 he played for them in the Super Bowl, and in 2021 he was named to the Pro Bowl.
He was cut by the Jets from his three-year, $40 million contract in order to avoid paying the salary cap an additional $8 million. With $52.7 million in career earnings, he has a respectable income. Even at this late date, he may still command a sizable commitment to sign.
Another major factor in Risner’s protracted period of free agency is money. According to his March 12 post on X, he is looking for a “starting guard contract.”
PFF reports that Tomlinson received the lowest marks of his career in the previous two seasons.
That might make you stop and think. Similar to Risner, he performed better when blocking passes than when blocking runs. But with quarterback Aaron Rodgers injured four snaps into the season, the Jets’ offense as a whole was a complete disaster the previous year.
Tomlinson would, of course, be facing a rookie with the Vikings, incumbents Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall, or journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold.
Everything Relates to the Vikings’ Quarterback Selection
Whoever the Vikings decide to roll with at quarterback in Week 1 of the 2024 season, their decision will have a ripple effect on the entire organization. They have spoken confidently about Darnold, whose addition could signal a lack of faith in Mullens and Hall.
