In the offseason, the Vikings handed out a couple of contract extensions to the franchise’s top players. Justin Jefferson signed a huge four-year deal. He has earned every penny of that contract and has delivered in 2024. The other massive signing was left tackle Christian Darrisaw after a couple of years with elite play on the valuable blindside.
1 Unsung Vikings Acquisition Has Secretly Been Pretty Good
Unlike Jefferson’s, Darrisaw’s season hasn’t gone that smoothly. He suffered a season-ending torn ACL and MCL in the loss against the Los Angeles Rams. Fans were scared of the thought of having to rely on backup David Quessenberry or making drastic changes like moving Blake Brandel one spot to the left.
Nobody can really replace a player like Darrisaw, but the Vikings still tried to find the best solution, acquiring veteran left tackle Cam Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars via trade.
Scheduled to enter free agency after the season, the Jaguars were happy to do business with the Vikings, sending their lineman to the Twin Cities for a conditional fifth-round pick to hand their LT spot to former second-rounder Walker Little, who was also in the final year of his contract but has since signed an extension.
The Vikings simply replaced their star tackle with a reliable starter on the left side. Robinson started 91 games for the Jaguars. Kevin O’Connell and his staff immediately inserted him into their lineup, and he has played in all six games since the trade.
Robinson missed the majority of the game against the Bears because of a foot injury but returned to the field in the next contest versus the Cardinals.
In the first two games, he allowed some pressure, which was expected considering the quick turnaround, but the last four games have been near flawless in pass protection, as he allowed six pressures and earned a PFF pass-blocking grade of 81.0, ranking him 12th among offensive tackles with at least 100 snaps in that span.
Undoubtedly, the worst part of his game comes in run blocking. The 29-year-old has gotten a run-blocking grade of 52.0 since arriving in Minnesota, a below-average number that mirrors his career grades.
At the end of the day, the Vikings solidified their left tackle spot despite losing an elite player to IR. Robinson can’t match Darrisaw’s play, but considering the circumstances, the front office found the best possible option and made sure to trade for him and bring him to Minnesota.
After some deserved criticism for a subpar 2022 draft class, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been an excellent GM in 2024, signing numerous contributors in the offseason and adding more talent in the season. His moves have been a major factor in the playoff push.
Robinson’s contract will expire after the season, and he will be looking for a new team and starting money. A solid performance on a playoff team is the best way to convince another franchise to give him the gig. The Vikings hope to get Darrisaw back in time for the start of the 2025 campaign.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt