The Minnesota Vikings had nearly 25 free agents heading into the 2023 offseason and the Vikings have been doing work on bringing some of them back.
On Friday, the Vikings re-signed their two exclusive rights free agents in OT Blake Brandel and NT Khyiris Tonga.
One of the easiest ways that you can build a championship contender is by hitting on both late draft picks and both UDFA’s and the waiver wire. That is how they got both Brandel and Tonga.
Brandel was a sixth-round pick in 2020 out of Oregon State and was a guy that you can hope to develop into a swing tackle. It took three years, but he has done just that. In place of Christian Darrisaw when he was out with his two concussions, Brandel was a stalwart player and did a really solid job at left tackle.
On the defensive line, Tonga was better. He was a top-15 pass rusher per Pro Football Focus grade and had 14 pressures from the interior. He looked more explosive than the average nose tackle and became an important role player.
The important thing for the Vikings is they got both of these players for well below market value due to the exclusive right free agent tag.
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