The Vikings are Now Forced to Take a Lie Detector Test

Some combination of Blake Brandel and/or Michael Jurgens will be good enough at center. If it isn’t, then sprinkling in some Gavin Gerhardt will do the trick.

Do the Vikings actually believe that?

Talk is pretty cheap in the NFL. What’s of far more consequence is actions, especially when meaty money gets attached to those actions. Seeing Minnesota opt for free agent center Ethan Pocic would reveal that Minnesota hasn’t been as confident as previously proclaimed.

The Vikings Forced to Take Litmus Test at Center

Adam Schefter offered an update that may have caused some within the Vikings’ orbit to take notice. Check out what the ESPN insider had to say: “Browns starting center Ethan Pocic, who tore his Achilles last December, recently was cleared by Dr. Norman Waldrop to participate in training camp. Pocic is a free agent, and is said by a source to be ‘full go.’”

Good timing.

Had there been no injury, Mr. Pocic would already have a home. He has been a good starter for a long time and the NFL is always hungry for solid blocking. As a result, Pocic stands out as unique since he would have almost certainly been signed had there not been injury concerns to overcome. Maybe Minnesota will be able to get unusual value unusually late in the NFL offseason.

VT’s Dustin Baker discussed the issue yesterday, exploring the possibility of signing the large lad with experience at both center and guard.

“Pocic has built a solid nine-year NFL career,” Baker writes, “starting 97 of 114 regular-season games. Drafted by the Seahawks in 2017, Pocic initially played guard before settling in at center. Once he became a full-time starter, his snap count increased immensely, reaching 993 snaps in 2020.”

More from Baker: “His most successful period began after joining Cleveland. From 2022 to 2025, Pocic started all 57 games he played for the Browns. His standout season was 2022, when he earned an impressive 78.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, with a run-blocking score to match. His pass protection, too, remained reliable.”

“Though Pocic may no longer be at his 2022 peak, he remains an experienced starting center capable of immediately stabilizing an offensive line. That could be just what the doctor ordered for the 2026 Vikings,” Baker concluded.

Now, here’s what adds a bit of extra seasoning: Vikings OL coach Keith Carter just sang the praises of Blake Brandel and Michael Jurgens. In fact, he seemed to insist that the race was down to those two.

“Again, we’re fortunate,” Carter explained about the center position, “we have Blake [Brandel] who has played and started I think now every position up front, which in this league is unheard of.” More from Carter: “and then you’ve got Jurgens who is getting better and better.”

Carter then said the competition between these two is making the Vikings better: “To have those two guys competing, I think we’re lucky.”

Based simply off what Carter was saying, the Vikings are going to continue marching forward with Brandel v. Jurgens. May the best man win. And, to be sure, there’s still a decent chance that the Vikings follow through on that plan. Brandel, in particular, appears to be a reasonably solid option insofar as he’s a veteran who has seen and done it all along the offensive line.

Does Ethan Pocic nevertheless have appeal?

In some ways, Pocic feels like Dalton Risner, a veteran interior lineman who had long been connected to the Vikings. Pocic is a touch different insofar as he’s not holding out for a beefy contract. Or, at least, that doesn’t appear to be the main factor in him being unemployed for so long. The veteran has had to get healthy. Now healthy, Pocic should generate a fresh round of interest.

The most recent contract for Pocic was for three seasons and $18 million, per Over the Cap. Whichever team signs him is very unlikely to get to that $6 million per year range. Rather, a single-season deal somewhere around $2-$4 million looks like the sweet spot. If so, the Vikings could insert themselves into the mix.

The Vikings have north of $13 million in open cap space. Even better, the Vikings appear ready to welcome a fresh infusion of cap space if the expected extensions arrive. Add it all together and money won’t be the issue.

Recent word coming from the Twin Cities has involved publicly declaring confidence in the in-house options at center. The good news about Pocic being (at worst) close to full health will put these words to the test.

Pocic stands at 6’6″ and weighs 320 pounds. He’ll turn 31 in August.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.