Vikings are committed to making Brandel work

https://vikesnow.com/analysis/2026/the-vikings-cannot-let-this-issue/

The Minnesota Vikings did not leave the first day of joint practices with Baltimore believing Blake Brandel’s transition to center is a failure.

They did, however, leave with a problem they must solve before the season opener.

Brandel has earned praise throughout camp for his communication, his understanding of the offense and his willingness to take on a position that had not been his primary job for most of his NFL career. But the center-quarterback exchange has been inconsistent in training camp, particularly from shotgun and pistol looks. And on Wednesday, Kevin O’Connell did not try to minimize it.

“Those are critical, critical plays,” O’Connell said. “The time is now to identify how that happens and ultimately give those guys enough reps to fix it.”

That is the correct level of urgency.

A high snap or one that pulls a quarterback off his spot does not always create a turnover. But it can destroy a play before it begins, turn a favorable down-and-distance situation into a long-yardage problem or prevent an offense from getting to the concept it wanted. O’Connell pointed to a snap that sailed over Carson Wentz’s head in last year’s Philadelphia game, turning what could have been a productive bubble-screen look into a drive that was suddenly playing for a field goal.

The snap is the only part of the play that has to happen correctly before anything else can.

Minnesota is not questioning whether Brandel can handle the mental demands of center. In fact, O’Connell made a point of praising that part of his game. Against Brian Flores’ defense, a center must identify fronts, communicate protections and account for defensive backs who can resemble linebackers before the snap. O’Connell said Brandel has been “great” in that area.

He has also helped give the Vikings some of the physicality they want from their reshaped run game. O’Connell described Brandel as doing “a phenomenal job” running off the ball, reaching defenders and attacking the grass Minnesota wants to earn at the line of scrimmage.

Those are not minor strengths. They are a large part of why the Vikings are giving Brandel this opportunity after Ryan Kelly’s retirement.

But center is not guard or tackle. A player can correctly identify pressure, make the right call and move a defender in the run game, then still derail the entire play with an inaccurate snap. The job requires the physical skill of snapping the football while preparing to move violently in a specific direction immediately afterward.

O’Connell explained the challenge. Brandel might need to reach a nose tackle to his left on a run play, a movement that can pull the snap low and right. On a pass play, he may be anticipating a stunt to the other side, creating a different body position and a snap that drifts low and left.

Those are explainable mechanics. They are also not acceptable regular-season outcomes.

“We have time, but not that much time,” O’Connell expressed.

That is why the Ravens practices matter. A preseason game can be useful, but it rarely offers the volume of pressure looks, coverage variations and communication demands an offense gets during joint work. Baltimore brought a variety of looks Wednesday, giving Brandel and the offensive line another opportunity to work against a defense that does not already know Minnesota’s calls and tendencies.

Brandel’s own assessment was encouraging.

“I thought it was good,” he said of the snapping after the first practice against Baltimore. “Kyler and I have an open line of communication for sure, and I asked him throughout practice and he said they were all good.”

One clean day does not erase the larger concern, just as a few difficult camp practices do not define Brandel’s season. But Wednesday is the sort of response the Vikings need: acknowledgment, correction and a good day of work against an unfamiliar defense.

The larger question is whether the issue becomes a pattern once the pressure rises.

Minnesota’s offense is trying to expand its run-game identity with Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, fullback Max Bredeson and a healthier offensive line. It has also built in more shotgun and pistol elements that fit Kyler Murray’s strengths. Those formations can create stress for a defense. They also put more focus on the quarterback-center exchange.

The Vikings cannot afford to install a more varied offense, then reduce their options because the first movement of the play is unreliable.

Brandel does not need to be perfect in August but he does need to show that the bad snaps are being eliminated rather than merely explained. The next joint practice, Saturday’s preseason game against Baltimore and the remaining weeks of camp will provide the sample Minnesota needs.

There is still a lot to like about Brandel as a player. He is trusted by coaches, capable of communicating the offense and physical enough to fit the Vikings’ intended style. Those traits explain why Minnesota handed him the job in the first place.

That is also why a mid-August replacement is not a realistic answer. The free-agent market is not stocked with proven starting centers waiting to sign a short-term deal, and teams with reliable veterans do not keep ready-made starters on the bench for another club to acquire.

Even if the Vikings found another option, that player would have to learn the protections, establish timing with Murray and earn the trust of the rest of the line with the season approaching. There is no simple switch to flip.

So the Vikings are committed to making Brandel work. That means more repetitions, more attention to the mechanics that pull a snap off target and more communication between center and quarterback until the issue fades from view.

But the standards at center are unforgiving. A good block can make a play better. A bad snap can prevent it from ever starting.