The Minnesota Vikings are on a two-game losing streak, but this biggest loss of the past few weeks came when Christian Darrisaw suffered a season-ending knee injury. A first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Virginia Tech product quickly established himself as one of the league’s premier blindside protectors, and the team rewarded him with a four-year, $104 million contract ahead of the 2024 season. He justified that investment by continuing his stellar play, recording an 81.4 PFF grade through seven games, the ninth-best mark in the league.
With Christian Darrisaw sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Vikings may look to the open market for an adequate injury replacement. While nobody can match Darrisaw’s on-field production, some serviceable players remain in free agency. Arguably the best of the bunch is Charles Leno, a 10-year veteran coming off a decent season with the Washington Commanders. While the Vikings could show some interest in the former seventh-round pick, the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs could also target the veteran.
Vikings Could Fight Chiefs, Saints For Charles Leno After Christian Darrisaw Injury
The New Orleans Saints enter Week 8 at a crossroads. On the one hand, they’re 2-5 and need just about everything to go right to make a run at the playoffs. On the other hand, the team looked unstoppable when healthy and key pieces are returning to the field. Head coach Dennis Allen will not keep his job if he cannot get this team to the playoffs, but ownership probably won’t sign off on a major trade. With all this in mind, New Orleans should target a cost-effective upgrade like Charles Leno, and they need to do it before Minnesota reacts to the Christian Darrisaw injury.
First-round pick Taliese Fuaga is playing well at left tackle, but Trevor Penning remains an active liability. Whether it’s a banged-up Derek Carr or a rookie Spencer Rattler, the quarterback won’t have much of a chance behind Penning and the decimated interior offensive line. Charles Leno won’t fix every issue with this team, but he could go a long way in addressing the offensive line woes. The Marquez Valdes-Scantling signing implies the Saints won’t completely give up on the season, so they might as well upgrade the tackle position for the remainder of the campaign.
Chasing Another Title
The Kansas City Chiefs have some work to do on the offensive side of the ball. While the team currently boasts a pristine 6-0 record, quarterback Patrick Mahomes has not played up to his usual standard. Most of this blame rests at the hands of a banged-up wide receiver room, and the Chiefs addressed that with the DeAndre Hopkins trade. While this should fix the biggest issue with the team, they still need to do something about the offensive line.
Kansas City has the best interior offensive line in football, but the tackle position is a bit of a mess. Jawaan Taylor is a below-average starter on a superstar contract, while second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia is not ready for NFL action. While it’s too early to throw in the towel on his career, the Chiefs need a better short-term option than Wanya Morris. Charles Leno makes all the sense in the world for this organization, and the Christian Darrisaw injury could cause his market to heat up. If the Chiefs want to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in as many seasons, they’ll act now and make a move for Leno.
Main Photo: Tork Mason – USA Today Sports
