Dan Graziano offers high praise for Vikings trade of Cam Robinson

The NFL Trade Deadline was very busy for most teams, the Vikings included, but one move did more than the rest.

The NFL Trade Deadline was very busy for most teams, the Vikings included, but one move did more than the rest. Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has always been a proactive roster builder but this year he was forced into the role more than before.

The Vikings had lost their starting tackle, Christian Darrisaw, and wasted no time finding a fill-in tackle by trading for Cam Robinson.

Most outlets praised the move, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano is taking it a step further, saying it was the “most important addition over the past month.”

Graziano wrote, “Robinson is certainly not Darrisaw, but given how difficult it is to find starting-caliber offensive linemen at any time of the season, you have to admire the Vikings for getting out there and trying to plug a hole they absolutely had to plug.”

Robinson looked okay in his first game with the Vikings as they played the Colts in Week 9. With more than just one day of practice under his belt now, the offensive line as a whole is expected to look more in sync as they play his former team on Sunday.

Vikings announce Christian Darrisaw has undergone surgery on his injured knee

On Monday, the team had good news regarding Christian Darrisaw’s prognosis. 

The Minnesota Vikings lost star offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw for the year to a torn ACL and MCL in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams.

On Monday, the team made an announcement about his knee, with some good news regarding his prognosis.

Christian Darrisaw underwent successful surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament today at Twin Cities Orthopedics in Eagan, Minn. The procedure was led by Vikings Head Team Physician Dr. Chris Larson. The team will continue to provide updates, as appropriate, during Darrisaw’s recovery process.”

The team expects Darrisaw to be ready for the start of the 2025 season. In the meantime, the Vikings acquired Cam Robinson to serve as his replacement. Robinson was an established left tackle with the Jaguars and played this past week against the Colts.

Vikings offensive line tumbles in latest PFF power rankings

In the wake of a Christian Darrisaw injury and trade for Cam Robinson, the Minnesota Vikings offensive line tumbled in PFF’s power rankings.

Most media outlets these days put out power rankings after each week, evaluating how each team fared in the previous week’s matchup, and how they compare to their peers. It’s an easy way to churn out content, and a great conversation starter.

The folks at PFF; however, go a little further with power rankings than most. Not only do their weekly overall team rankings have more data than most other outlets to give you a better concept of why teams are moving up or down, but they also churn out power rankings for individual units on each team, giving a more granular look at the weekly picture.

One of those unit power rankings that PFF puts out is ranking each team’s offensive line each week. This week, the results aren’t kind to the Minnesota Vikings — and understandably so. Losing Christian Darrisaw– playing at a Pro Bowl level before the injury- is a huge blow to the team, and it makes sense that the Vikings would tumble as a result.

And tumble they did! The team’s offensive line fell six spots in this week’s rankings from PFF. That puts the Vikings in the bottom third of the league at #22, down from their #16 spot last week. That ranking may change next week, as Christian Darrisaw’s replacement, Cam Robinson, gets acclimated to the team and gets inserted into the starting lineup. For this week, however, PFF is projecting David Quessenberry getting the start in Darrisaw’s absence.

As the Vikings try to recover from their two-game skid, the offensive line is going to play a big part in just how well the team performs from here on out. Where quarterback Sam Darnold once could feel confident his blindside was protected, now there’s a lot of uncertainty — which is not good for a quarterback who has struggled the past two weeks, and has a pretty lengthy history of struggling when the pressure is on.

If there is a bright side, it’s that despite the tumble in offensive line rankings, and in spite of the two-game slide, the Vikings are still in the top 10 of PFF’s overall power rankings.

NFL analyst wants to see Vikings trade for Raiders defensive tackle

Despite a two-game skid, the Vikings are still NFC contenders. One NFL analyst believes they should make a move to improve their defense.

Despite the recent two-game skid and some pessimism on the team that has crept in during the past two weeks, the Minnesota Vikings are still very much in the thick of the NFC playoff picture. Despite slipping to third in their own division, Minnesota is still one of the top teams in the conference by record and would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

That makes them very much a contender, despite what their recent play might suggest. One of the biggest issues with the Vikings recently has been, surprisingly, the play of their defense. The defensive line and linebackers have not been able to create pressure like they were at the beginning of the season, and it’s putting strain on an already haphazard defensive backs unit.

One NFL analyst, CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan, believes the solution to the Vikings’ recent woes may come at the trade deadline. The Vikings have already been active on the trade market, trading for familiar running back Cam Akers and then filling the hole left by an injured Christian Darrisaw with former Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson, but they may not be done.

Sullivan suggests the Vikings contact the Las Vegas Raiders about defensive tackle Adam Butler. Butler is familiar with defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the defense he likes to run from his time with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.

Despite not getting to the quarterback yet this season, Butler has one of the overall best seasons of his career in 2024 with the Raiders. Bringing Butler into the fold for the Vikings could give the team a great rotation of defensive tackles, keeping everyone fresher for longer and hopefully increasing their production.

Butler is currently on a one-year deal with the Raiders for only $1.8 million and would likely not command a high price. The price may be a bit higher than what the Vikings gave up for Robinson, but they should still be able to make a deal without touching their limited 2025 NFL Draft capital.

Vikings’ trade for Cam Robinson could be exactly what all sides need

In trading for now former Jacksonville Jaguars LT Cam Robinson, each side of the trade could be getting exactly what they need going forward

The Minnesota Vikings surprised many by pulling off a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars to address their sudden need for a left tackle. The deal has the Vikings trading away a 2026 fifth-round pick that can escalate to a fourth, depending on playing time.

In exchange, the Vikings get somewhat of a reclamation project in left tackle Cam Robinson, along with a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick – one that can go away depending on playing time.

The trade is a rare example of the kind of low-risk, high-reward deal that, if the season continues to go well for the Vikings, could wind up being great for every party involved. For the Jaguars’ part, they get a disgruntled player off their hands and get a day-three pick in 2026 in exchange – but will likely have to pay some of Robinson’s $10 million remaining salary to do so.

As for the Vikings, they get some immediate help at a sudden position of need. With starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw tearing his ACL and MCL in the Thursday night loss to the Rams, the Vikings suddenly had a huge hole to fill at a vital position.

Robinson hasn’t been great during his eight-year career with the Jaguars, but he has been serviceable – when he’s been in the lineup. That caveat has been the biggest rub on Robinson the past few years. Robinson hasn’t played a full season – whether it be due to injury, suspension, or benching – since 2020 and only once in his career.

Robinson’s benching last week with the Jaguars continued that trend into this season. That benching was—most likely—the final straw in the relationship between the teams and the impetus for this trade from the Jaguars’ end.

For Robinson, he gets a chance to rehab his image in the league’s eye for his next stop. In all likelihood, Robinson is little more than a rental for the Vikings for the remainder of the season, not a long-term option for the team.

Robinson is in the last year of the deal he signed with the Jaguars, and while Darrisaw won’t return this season, there’s little reason to believe he won’t be back to at or near his usual form for next season.

What Robinson gets is a chance to audition for 30 other teams – as he’s unlikely to return to the Jaguars in free agency – on a team that has exceeded expectations this season despite the two-game losing streak.

Robinson gets to be a lynchpin on an offensive line that protects one of the league’s leading passers in Sam Darnold, a good running back in Aaron Jones, and has weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and soon the return of tight end T.J. Hockenson.

If Robinson can hold up on the offensive line, and the Vikings can make the playoffs with Robinson as their left tackle, he could see a lucrative free agency in his future. There are a number of concerns hovering around Robinson, but a good close to the season on a good team could erase many of them.

TRADE: The Minnesota Vikings acquire OT Cam Robinson from Jaguars

The Vikings have acquired offensive tackle Cam Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars, the move was reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. 

The Minnesota Vikings have acquired offensive tackle Cam Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported the move.

The Vikings acquire Cam Robinson and a conditional 2026 7th that can be removed based on playtime, and the Jaguars get a conditional 2026 5th that can become a 4th based on playtime. The Vikings aggressively moved to acquire the Jaguars’ starting left tackle after losing Christian Darrisaw to a torn ACL and MCL against the Rams in Week 8.

Cam Robinson had been on the Vikings since being drafted in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Alabama. He has played in 91 games for the Jaguars, starting in each. In 2024, he had been playing up and down, giving up 13 pressures in the first three games for the Jaguars before getting his play straightened out. Since Week 4, Robinson has surrendered just three pressures.

Robinson is playing on a franchise tag that the Jaguars placed on him this past offseason. He will become a free agent during the 2025 NFL offseason.

NFL analyst suggest Minnesota Vikings sign free agent OT

What will the Minnesota Vikings do in the wake of the Christian Darrisaw injury? One NFL analyst suggests looking to a former division rival

The Minnesota Vikings are reeling after losing two games in five days. The defense—the Vikings’ strong suit during the first five games of the season—has faltered in a big way the last two weeks. Quarterback Sam Darnold has started to show cracks in his armor, and perhaps worst of all, the Vikings lost Christian Darrisaw for the season.

Late in the first half of the Vikings’ loss to the Rams, Darrisaw was injured when the Vikings handed the ball off to running back Aaron Jones to get out of their own endzone and Rams’ safety Jaylen McCollough fell into Darrisaw’s knee. That collision resulted in Darrisaw tearing his ACL and MCL, and leaves the Vikings with a huge hole to fill along the offensive line.

Just how they go about filling that hole remains to be seen, but one NFL analyst is suggesting the Vikings look to a former division rival as the answer. In their weekly column at Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Matt Holder suggests the Vikings sign former Chicago Bears left tackle Charles Leno.

The Vikings should be plenty familiar with Leno and his game, as the left tackle spent seven seasons with the Bears before being released in 2021 and spending three seasons with the Washington Commanders.

Leno has yet to sign with a team and play in the 2024 season, but last season with the Commanders, Leno gave up just 34 pressures in more than 600 snaps of pass protection at left tackle, and allowed just three sacks on the season. Those numbers led Leno to a PFF grade of 72.5 that season, making Leno a strong option for a team suddenly looking at a major hole in their offensive line.

NFL analyst says the Vikings bringing in a free agent OT “makes sense”

Should the Minnesota Vikings bring in a free agent to replace Christian Darrisaw? Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer thinks it “makes sense”.

On Thursday night, things quickly went from bad to worse for the Minnesota Vikings against the Los Angeles Rams. It wasn’t enough that the Vikings defense got bullied for the second straight week, and the team lost their second game in a row after winning their first five.

The football gods had to add injury to insult—quite literally—as the Vikings lost their starting left tackle, Christian Darrisaw, for the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Darrisaw was playing at a Pro Bowl level this season and was a big reason why the Vikings offense—and the team in general—got off to such a hot start.

The injury has left many wondering what the Vikings plan on doing at the position in the wake of Darrisaw’s absence, and they have plenty of options. Swing tackle David Quessenberry came into the game on Thursday after Darrisaw’s injury, and has plenty of experience at tackle in the NFL. However, there was a clear difference in the level of play of the offense post-Darrisaw injury with Quessenberry in.

If the Vikings don’t trust Quessenberry full-time at the position, they also have Blake Brandel as an option. Brandel is currently playing left guard for the team, but also has experience at tackle. With Dalton Risner expected to return, head coach Kevin O’Connell could opt to swing Brandel outside and put Risner at tackle.

The third option — and one that Sports Illustrated’s NFL analyst Albert Breer says “makes sense” in his Week 8 Takeaways column for the outlet — is signing a tackle off free agency. Breer suggests the likes of D.J. Humphries, David Bakhtiari, and Charles Leno as options.

All three players have extensive experience at the position and would make for a solid rental option to finish out the season. As Breer points out in the column, Darrisaw is still just 25 years old, and there’s no reason to think he won’t make a full recovery from this injury, so there’s no need for the Vikings to go out and make a drastic move at the position for someone who would be a long-term solution. However, Breer believes bringing someone in for the short term could be the right move for Minnesota.

Vikings still in top 10 of NFL analyst’s latest power rankings

After losing back-to-back games and left tackle Christian Darrisaw, for the season, the Minnesota Vikings are falling down power rankings.

To say that things have not gone the Minnesota Vikings’ way this past week would be an understatement. The team has lost two games in the span of a week after winning their first five. They were a miraculous Hail Mary in Washington away from going from first to last in the division. Worst of all, they’ve lost their star left tackle for the remainder of the season.

All of that combined has led to a dramatic drop in the latest NFL power rankings from The Sporting News’ NFL analyst Vinnie Iyer. Despite the loss last week, the Vikings were still sitting in Iyer’s top 3 coming into this week. Now, after back-to-back losses and the Vikings’ defense looking uncharacteristically bad in both — along with the loss of Christian Darrisaw — the Vikings have fallen to the 9th spot.

That six-place drop was matched only by the Baltimore Ravens, who fell from the fourth spot to the 10th, and surpassed by the New York Jets, who fell from the 23rd spot to the 30th.

If there’s any consolation for the Vikings and their fans amid this rough stretch, the team’s schedule gets a lot easier in the next few weeks. After tough games against both the Lions and the Rams, the Vikings get the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans in their next three games.

Minnesota has a lot to work out on the defense, as that has been the biggest pain point these past two weeks. They’re also going to need to figure out what they’re going to do in the wake of the Darrisaw injury, whether that’s rolling with David Quessenberry, shifting Blake Brandel over to tackle, moving Brian O’Neill over to the left side of the line, or signing a free agent offensive tackle.

Fortunately, these next three weeks should afford them time to work out those kinks. However, nothing comes easy in the NFL, and Minnesota can’t overlook these next three opponents.

Vikings expected to be patient prior to trade deadline before Week 10

Minnesota might be in a wait-and-see approach when it comes to making trades.

After dropping their second game in a row, some Viking fans are hoping to see Minnesota make some moves before the trade deadline — especially after star left tackle Christian Darrisaw is now out for the season.

But according to Ben Goessling with the Star Tribune, he expects the Vikings to be patient and be in a wait-and-see approach until after the Colts’ game on Sunday Night Football.

“The NFL’s decision to move its trade deadline back by one week means the Vikings will play once more, at home next Sunday night against the Colts, before deciding how aggressive they want to be in pursuit of upgrades for their 2024 roster.”

Minnesota could use some help in different areas. Of course, the offensive line remains a concern. Will Dalton Risner get the first shot at either left tackle or left guard, while moving Blake Brandel over? But what about the right guard position that has been a struggle all season? Then on defense, it’s clear the Vikings need some interior help on the line, and could use some help in the secondary.

Fans will have to wait and see what happens.