The Minnesota Vikings are in a tough spot. Despite being 5-2, they have to replace left tackle Christian Darrisaw after he suffered a torn ACL and MCL. There are only a few tackles who are the caliber of Darrisaw in the National Football League, which makes it really difficult to replace. Even so, they can adjust to help the burden.
There are a few different options the Vikings can take. Left guard Blake Brandel is a left tackle by trade and can kick outside if needed. He did so in 2022. The other big option for the Vikings is David Quessenberry who started multiple games at both left and right tackle in 2023.
Those are the main options for the Vikings, but one insider thinks the Vikings could make a different in-house move.
Could the Vikings put Brian O'Neill at LT?
Of all the options the Vikings have for left tackle, one that hasn't been discussed is moving right tackle Brian O'Neill over to the left side. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer believes the Vikings might consider doing just that.
As bad as the injury is (spare me the takes on kneeling out the first half, because it’s football, and things happen), Darrisaw is 25 and it’s fair to think he’ll be able to return to form next year. So, it’s not like there’s a long-range issue here that calls for the Vikings to do something drastic. But bringing in an experienced hand such as D.J. Humphries, David Bakhtiari or Charles Leno Jr. might make sense. They could also look at moving right tackle Brian O’Neill, the bedrock of the line, to left tackle or shifting Blake Brandel from left guard to tackle.
So, this idea is very interesting for the Vikings. O'Neill did play left tackle during his time at Pitt but hasn't played a single snap of it in the NFL. Would it make sense to replace two positions by moving O'Neill? He's already an elite right tackle and having to relearn everything from the left side could be counter productive.
However, the blindside of Sam Darnold is more important than the right side. It could be something the Vikings want to try but is it the right move? That's the million dollar question. I would advise against it. Just worry about fixing the one position ank
