The Minnesota Vikings‘ parting of ways with offensive line coach Chris Kuper seemed well overdue, and it wasn’t lost on starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw.
Minnesota’s offense line has been a bane of the franchise for over a decade. When Kevin O’Connell arrived in 2022, he hired Kuper to remedy the position group.
O’Connell made a mandate that the interior pass protection needed to improve after the team surrendered a historic nine sacks to the Los Angeles Rams in a playoff loss last year.
Significant investment was poured into the offensive line in the form of $105 million committed to former Indianapolis Colts starters Ryan Kelly and Will Fries and the selection of guard Donovan Jackson in the first round.
Yet, the Vikings’ offensive line finished the 2025 season ranked 31st in pass protection.
Meanwhile, several former Vikings linemen went on to repair their damaged reputations.
“Another layer of this decision is the success that former Vikings offensive linemen are having elsewhere. Former center Garrett Bradbury has performed admirably this season with the New England Patriots. Former guard Ed Ingram has held his own with the Houston Texans,” The Athletic’s Lewis wrote on January 17. “Even former guard Ezra Cleveland produced consistently with the Jacksonville Jaguars, as did former guard Dalton Risner with the Cincinnati Bengals.”
Signed to a four-year, $104 million deal, Darrisaw is one of the NFL’s premier tackles. He posted the thinking emojis on his Instagram after news broke of Kuper’s departure.
Christian Darrisaw’s Absence Led to Vikings O-Line Struggles
In his end-of-season news conference, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made it abundantly clear how difficult it was with Darrisaw’s injury struggles this season.
After a year-long rehab of several torn knee ligaments, Darrisaw returned in Week 3 this season but struggled to stay on the field, playing just 50.3% of the team’s total offensive snaps.
That’s led to Adofo-Mensah indicating there will be an effort to improve the depth at the tackle position this offseason after the team deployed 20 different line combinations during the 2025 season.
“But obviously at all parts of our team, we’ve seen how important [Darrisaw] has been to our play. And so when we’re addressing things in the draft or free agency, we have to be mindful of that,” Adofo-Mensah said. “I don’t want to say ‘insurance,’ but we’re always trying to have a roster of aspiration as a GM, when that first guy goes out, that next guy comes in and is as good as the guy. Is that reality? No, but that’s the mindset we got to take, and that’s a position we probably got to be more mindful of that.”
How Did Former Vikings Linemen Fare Away From Minnesota?
It’s been a tough season for offensive line observers in Minnesota.
Of the aforementioned quartet of linemen, the Vikings moved on from last offseason, three proved to be vital contributors to getting their teams into the playoffs.
A 2018 first-round pick, Bradbury allowed a career-low 21 pressures with the Patriots and did not surrender a sack this season, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).
A 2022 second-round pick, Ingram had posted sub-60.0 PFF grades throughout his three seasons in Minnesota. In Houston, Ingram has posted a 74.2 overall grade.
A 2020 second-round pick, Cleveland is coming off his best season as a pass protector, tallying a 71.4 pass protection grade after sub-60.0 grades throughout his tenure in Minnesota.
Risner also allowed a career-best 17 pressures this season for the Bengals.
Vikings’ $104 Million Star Makes Cryptic Post After Coach Leaves