Something must be in the water in Minnesota.
After years of frustration surrounding second-round pick Ed Ingram‘s performance, the Minnesota Vikings traded him to the Houston Texans in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
It was a necessary recoup on the draft stock spent on Ingram, who, before he was benched in Week 11, led the NFL with 129 pressures across 41 career games since entering the league in 2022.
But something flipped for Ingram in Houston.
Ingram rewrote the narrative of his career in the final year of his rookie contract. He was graded as the 11th-best guard by Pro Football Focus (PFF) this season. He emerged as one of the best run blockers at his position and improved in pass protection, allowing 30 pressures on 635 pass-blocking snaps.
Overall, his breakout is evidence of something being awry in Minnesota with its offensive line development. The team decided not to retain offensive line coach Chris Kuper, who arrived as an original Kevin O’Connell staffer in 2022.
Meanwhile, Ingram is expected to garner a considerable contract just months after many Minnesota fans felt he couldn’t hold a starting job in the NFL. According to Spotrac, Ingram is projected to land a three-year, $39 million deal worth $13 million a season.
Vikings’ Investment in Will Fries Remains to Be Seen
On the surface, the investment in former Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries looks bad. Fries signed a five-year, $87.7 million contract in free agency as one of the premier guards to hit the market in the 2025 offseason.
But while Ingram ranked 11th among qualifying guards by PFF’s grading, Fries finished 35th this season.
However, offensive line play, especially in the interior, is the sum of its parts.
Fries deserves credit as the only starter who did not miss a game this season. He was a lock to an otherwise constantly shuffling offensive line group that deployed 20 different combinations this season.
He was without his starting center from Indianapolis, Ryan Kelly, for most of the season as well.
It’s made Fries’ evaluation difficult after one season, which was a trial year with his base salary just $1.4 million. Next season, the cap hits begin to get serious, starting with a $17.2 million cap hit in 2026.
While Fries showed promise in Indianapolis, his health was the biggest question attached to his contract after he had his 2024 season shut down after just five games due to a fractured tibia.
Fries playing every snap this season was a positive heading into next season.
Ed Ingram Among Ex-Vikings Linemen Thriving Elsewhere in the NFL
Ingram isn’t alone in finding greener pastures elsewhere in the NFL.
A 2018 first-round pick, Garrett Bradbury allowed a career-low 21 pressures with the New England Patriots and did not surrender a sack this season.
A 2020 second-round pick, Ezra Cleveland is coming off his best season as a pass protector with the Jacksonville Jaguars, tallying a 71.4 pass protection grade after sub-60.0 grades throughout his tenure in Minnesota.
Dalton Risner, the man who replaced Ingram during the 2024 season, was also allowed a career-best 17 pressures this season for the Cincinnati Bengals.
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