So how we feeling about big Will Fries?

I don’t think it’s a matter of like or dislike. MB urged caution based on a limited run of good production.

Jury is out but I’ve got faith in Smith and Carter to get the OL where it needs to be.

He will be fine. WIll he be $88M fine? Maybe not, but as you mentioned, coming off his serious, season-ending injury (like CD) last year, he will be even more healthy this year and in a much better state of mind. He has the tools and the IQ to be rock solid for the Vikings this year and onward. We need consistency and healthy players, so that will also help him, especially since he had never played with the 45 different guys he played with on the line last year...🤪

It’s a cap friendly $88 million at least.

Not worried about him being starting caliber. Will be excited to see if he takes that next step and is as dominant as we're paying him to be.

IceRatz16 wrote:

He will be fine. WIll he be $88M fine? Maybe not, but as you mentioned, coming off his serious, season-ending injury (like CD) last year, he will be even more healthy this year and in a much better state of mind. He has the tools and the IQ to be rock solid for the Vikings this year and onward. We need consistency and healthy players, so that will also help him, especially since he had never played with the 45 different guys he played with on the line last year...🤪

I was a big advocate to bring in Fries. He didn't show great at times last year. I get the "coming back from a major injury" argument. It was a major injury, but not the same as Darrisaw. Darrisaw tore both ACL and MCL in his knee. Fries injury, once fully healed, is much easier to recover. Once healed with a broken leg, it is not near as complex to recover from, unlike ligament reconstruction and the stability to the knee.

I have some doubt with Fries at the moment. Hope he has a rebound year for us. His contract helps the Vikings in either direction, however.

medaille wrote:

Not worried about him being starting caliber. Will be excited to see if he takes that next step and is as dominant as we're paying him to be.

I’d be happy with 17+ starts of solid RG play. Anything else is gravy. Contract redo in 27.

If we get dominate play?

He will be two years from breaking his leg. He should be better now and hopefully return to form.

Canthony wrote:

I was a big advocate to bring in Fries. He didn't show great at times last year. I get the "coming back from a major injury" argument. It was a major injury, but not the same as Darrisaw. Darrisaw tore both ACL and MCL in his knee. Fries injury, once fully healed, is much easier to recover. Once healed with a broken leg, it is not near as complex to recover from, unlike ligament reconstruction and the stability to the knee.
I have some doubt with Fries at the moment. Hope he has a rebound year for us. His contract helps the Vikings in either direction, however.

Yeah, I wasn't comparing the severity of the two injuries. My point was simply that both players were coming off season-ending injuries the year before.

That said, while a broken bone generally heals more predictably than ligament damage, injuries are just as much mental as they are physical. I saw that firsthand with my son.

He broke the bone just below his kneecap during soccer practice, ironically because his own goalkeeper came charging out on a play that probably didn't warrant it. The doctors told us that, at his age, the ligaments were actually stronger than the bone, so what might've been an ACL tear in an adult resulted in a fracture instead.

Before that injury, he was playing the best soccer of his life. His game was built on speed, confidence, and attacking defenders without hesitation. Physically, it took a couple of years before he looked close to himself again, and I'm still not convinced he ever got all the way back.

But the bigger hurdle was mental. He no longer trusted his body the same way. The fearless player who attacked every opportunity suddenly became more cautious, and that hesitation affected his development during some of the most important years of his career.

That's why I try not to dismiss what athletes go through after major injuries, especially with much bigger bodies. Getting medically cleared is one thing. Trusting your body again and playing instinctively is a completely different challenge.

One of my favorite Gifs is appropriate for this one too...

I think Fries will shake off last year. The story is a nothing burger. Lettuce move on and ketchup when the season starts. Too cheesy?

IceRatz16 wrote:

Yeah, I wasn't comparing the severity of the two injuries. My point was simply that both players were coming off season-ending injuries the year before.
That said, while a broken bone generally heals more predictably than ligament damage, injuries are just as much mental as they are physical. I saw that firsthand with my son.
He broke the bone just below his kneecap during soccer practice, ironically because his own goalkeeper came charging out on a play that probably didn't warrant it. The doctors told us that, at his age, the ligaments were actually stronger than the bone, so what might've been an ACL tear in an adult resulted in a fracture instead.
Before that injury, he was playing the best soccer of his life. His game was built on speed, confidence, and attacking defenders without hesitation. Physically, it took a couple of years before he looked close to himself again, and I'm still not convinced he ever got all the way back.
But the bigger hurdle was mental. He no longer trusted his body the same way. The fearless player who attacked every opportunity suddenly became more cautious, and that hesitation affected his development during some of the most important years of his career.
That's why I try not to dismiss what athletes go through after major injuries, especially with much bigger bodies. Getting medically cleared is one thing. Trusting your body again and playing instinctively is a completely different challenge.

I agree that there is a mental aspect. Thanks for sharing your story

Canthony wrote:

I was a big advocate to bring in Fries. He didn't show great at times last year. I get the "coming back from a major injury" argument. It was a major injury, but not the same as Darrisaw. Darrisaw tore both ACL and MCL in his knee. Fries injury, once fully healed, is much easier to recover. Once healed with a broken leg, it is not near as complex to recover from, unlike ligament reconstruction and the stability to the knee.
I have some doubt with Fries at the moment. Hope he has a rebound year for us. His contract helps the Vikings in either direction, however.

Except for the not practicing, not able to lift, learning to trust the leg again.

We often forget these guys train year round and have to work to keep that weight on. Not being able to work out the legs for a good chunk of the year makes a huge difference.

greediron wrote:

Except for the not practicing, not able to lift, learning to trust the leg again.

We often forget these guys train year round and have to work to keep that weight on. Not being able to work out the legs for a good chunk of the year makes a huge difference.

This is why I hope fans temper their expectations for Caleb Banks right out of the gate....he's going to be a slow groove back into the action. Needs to get back the football endurance and strength back. I bet they take it very easy with him the first 2+ weeks of TC.

StickierBuns wrote:

This is why I hope fans temper their expectations for Caleb Banks right out of the gate....he's going to be a slow groove back into the action. Needs to get back the football endurance and strength back. I bet they take it very easy with him the first 2+ weeks of TC.

I think the Vikings have that luxury with the depth they have and the studs that have recently been stepping up with Williams and Redmond. I'm excited about our o line and d lines. Fries will be solid this year, I have zero doubts, but our rook on the other side (Jackson) will be even better as well and if they all stay healthy, both lines should be a big reason for our success.

Yeah, no. It’s not about me liking or disliking anyone. And I would say the same thing about JJ and Kyler. It’s about offering a little context. 

With Fries, It was about me questioning whether the injury was to blame for his “mid” year. It’s sure possible, and I hope so, and I know there are sometimes residual issues with injuries that impact a player’s confidence long after he’s cleared to play. 

But if you look at his career PFF grades, they all hover between 58-62 (league average)—except for one 5-game stretch in 2024 where his grades were elite. This was the performance that got him paid. I think the tendency is for fans to call 2025 an outlier and blame the injury or his being new to the system. But his grades last year were right in line with his career average outside of that 5-game spike in early 2024, so I tend to wonder if 2024 was the outlier. I’m not saying this is absolutely the case, just that it’s possible. 

We’ll see. But either way, we can release him after this season with zero dead. It’s interesting to me that the contract was written that way, and it might suggest the Vikings were a little more uncertain about him than we thought. 

MaroonBells wrote:

Yeah, no. It’s not about me liking or disliking anyone. And I would say the same thing about JJ and Kyler. It’s about offering a little context. 
With Fries, It was about me questioning whether the injury was to blame for his “mid” year. It’s sure possible, and I hope so, and I know there are sometimes residual issues with injuries that impact a player’s confidence long after he’s cleared to play. 
But if you look at his career PFF grades, they all hover between 58-62 (league average)—except for one 5-game stretch in 2024 where his grades were elite. This was the performance that got him paid. I think the tendency is for fans to call 2025 an outlier and blame the injury or his being new to the system. But his grades last year were right in line with his career average outside of that 5-game spike in early 2024, so I tend to wonder if 2024 was the outlier. I’m not saying this is absolutely the case, just that it’s possible. 
We’ll see. But either way, we can release him after this season with zero dead. It’s interesting to me that the contract was written that way, and it might suggest the Vikings were a little more uncertain about him than we thought.

lol, guys....when I said you didn't 'like' him, I didn't mean personally. I meant as a player and specifically the contract that goes with that player's abilities. And you might be right. If we remember correctly, Fries didn't even come in for a meeting in Eagan. The Vikings didn't even have him on their FA radar because they assumed he'd go elsewhere. Kelly talked to him because they were buddies and then Minnesota just blew him away with a contract offer. That totally reeks of KAM.

StickierBuns wrote:

lol, guys....when I said you didn't 'like' him, I didn't mean personally. I meant as a player and specifically the contract that goes with that player's abilities. And you might be right. If we remember correctly, Fries didn't even come in for a meeting in Eagan. The Vikings didn't even have him on their FA radar because they assumed he'd go elsewhere. Kelly talked to him because they were buddies and then Minnesota just blew him away with a contract offer. That totally reeks of KAM.

It does, and I mentioned in my first post about Fries that he may go down as one of KAM's bigger mistakes.

To go from what was maybe our best free agent class ever—think about it, Darnold, Cashman, Gink, Greenard, holy shit—to what was maybe one of our worst—Fries, Kelly, Hargrave, Allen—is the kind of head-spinning change of direction Jeremiyah Love would envy.

MB thinks the 5 game stretch of great play as an outlier was possible. I think it was probable. It does reek of KAM and a sell job by Kelly.

The Vikings line can still be pretty good if the rest of the line is solid. Consistently average play for 17 games would be an improvement compared to some of what we have seen the last couple years. Hopefully I'm wrong about Fries and he improves. If so this line has great potential.

MaroonBells wrote:

It does, and I mentioned in my first post about Fries that he may go down as one of KAM's bigger mistakes.
To go from what was maybe our best free agent class ever—think about it, Darnold, Cashman, Gink, Greenard, holy shit—to what was maybe one of our worst—Fries, Kelly, Hargrave, Allen—is the kind of head-spinning change of direction Jeremiyah Love would envy.

lol....

And what sucks the most is we were all pretty damn stoked over Fries, Kelly, Hargrave and Allen.....sigh.

StickierBuns wrote:

This is why I hope fans temper their expectations for Caleb Banks right out of the gate....he's going to be a slow groove back into the action. Needs to get back the football endurance and strength back. I bet they take it very easy with him the first 2+ weeks of TC.

Very good point. Big men need leg days.