Vikings Rookie Could Find Himself One Snap Away from Jumbo Role

Well, things have been going poorly for Minnesota’s left tackles.

Christian Darrisaw, of course, is the major loss since we’re talking about one of the game’s elite offensive tackles; he has been lost for the season. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah reinforced the position by adding Cam Robinson at the trade deadline, but the Week 12 win over the Bears involved the new addition coming out of the game due to an injury. Does a Vikings rookie need to step into the primary backup role? Even worse, would he need to be leaned on if there was another injury?

Vikings Rookie Walter Rouse & Minnesota’s O-Line

Going into Week 12, Walter Rouse was inactive.

The 6th-Round selection stands at 6’6″ and weighs 313 pounds. At 23, Rouse has quite a bit of time in front of him to continue developing, but it’s possible that Minnesota will need him earlier than was originally hoped.

After the game, Kevin O’Connell met with the media. The head coach briefly addressed the injury to Robinson: “Cam Robinson got the foot, I thought Quess stepped in for him and really did a nice job.”

So, not too much meat on the bone with that answer.

Robinson is working through a foot injury, one with an uncertain timeline. The simple fact that he didn’t return to the game isn’t a good sign but it’s possible a full week of rest/treatment will result in him being ready to roll in time for Week 13.

If not, then David Quessenberry — the veteran swing tackle — seems likely to step into that starting job. And, to be sure, that’s the right call. Quessenberry, 34, has seen a ton since getting scooped up in the 2013 NFL Draft. He won’t offer elite play but he’ll offer passable play, which may end up being good enough for a week or two.

The problem that could arise is if Quessenberry gets dinged up. Who else is there at offensive tackle?

Obviously, Brian O’Neill has been doing a sensational job at right tackle. O’Connell recently spoke about the veteran, noting that he has been “so dang good.” The left tackle spot, though, has been one that’s seen some turmoil.

Walter Rouse may be forced into action if Cam Robinson is still nursing his injury in Week 13 and then something happened to David Quessenberry. Yes, that’s a lot of things that need to go wrong, but that’s a possibility Minnesota’s coaching staff will surely be working through in the coming week.

In the three years leading into being drafted, Rouse soaked up plenty of snaps at left tackle in college, such as his 851 snaps in 2023 alone.

One also wonders about Blake Brandel, a college left tackle before becoming an NFL guard. Maybe Minnesota opts to slide him over to the LT spot, but that would run counter to what they’ve been preaching about the versatile Brandel for a little while: let him settle into a single spot and allow him to master one position. Still, an option.

Consider, for the sake of argument, how Minnesota’s front five could look if there ends up being a moment in the future where neither of Robinson nor Quessenberry can go. Guaranteed: the coaches will be discussing these possibilities:

Seeking minimal disruption would mean leaning toward Mr. Rouse, but that involves putting a rookie into a jumbo job: playing left tackle for a team that’s in the stretch run of the season and still chasing the division crown and 1st-Round bye.

The other options contain NFL linemen playing musical chairs. There’s the problem of shifting Brandel away from his spot — something the team has been open about not wanting to do — and then opening another spot that needs to be filled. Ed Ingram, a college left guard, could slide in. Or, perhaps, Ingram could shift to his NFL position (right guard) while Risner slides back into his NFL position (left guard). Or maybe there’s a turn to Dan Feeney, the utility player for the iOL, or even the other rookie offensive lineman, Michael Jurgens.

Within all of this, the best outcome is that Robinson is ready to roll in time for the upcoming game and that Quessenberry is back to being a solid swing tackle. Rouse, though, may see his days of being an inactive come to an end.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.

K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.