Vikings Secure Christian Darrisaw’s Replacement

The Minnesota Vikings have retooled their offensive line by acquiring standout guard Will Fries from the Colts and the guy who played right next to him for years, center Ryan Kelly. The club agreed to terms with a third offensive lineman on Thursday.

Vikings Secure Christian Darrisaw’s Replacement

The man’s name is Justin Skule, and he will wear purple in the upcoming season.

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reported, “The Vikings have agreed to terms with T Justin Skule, per source.”

Shortly thereafter, the franchise confirmed the move on social media.

Lewis added, “Justin Skule started five games last year for Tampa. Was effective. A nice swing tackle for the Vikings, thinking smartly knowing Christian Darrisaw is coming off torn ACL.”

Indeed, the Vikings need a new backup tackle, an underrated but important position in the NFL. Last year, the team employed David Quessenberry, a free agent, but traded for Cam Robinson after Christian Darrisaw’s devastating knee injury.

Skule will follow in Quessenberry’s footsteps. Vikings fans will only see him on the field on special teams unless Darrisaw misses Week 1.

“Christian Darrisaw is doing really well in his rehab,” Kevin O’Connell disclosed at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. The head coach continued: “When you go through the tape and you really watch CD’s impact, I think he was playing as well as anybody in football through those first six weeks […] He’s having a great offseason, the rehab process, he’s absolutely killing it every step of the way.”

Regardless, Skule is a ginormous human, standing 6-6 and 315 pounds. He entered the league as a sixth-round pick in 2019 by the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent three seasons. Then, the organization released him, and he joined the Buccaneers. He had been there between 2022 and 2024 prior to becoming a free agent.

In his NFL career, Skule appeared in 66 games, starting 17 contests. Last season, the Buccaneers relied on his services in five starts and a total of 361 offensive snaps, playing on both sides of the line. He earned a solid 69.2 grade from PFF.

Last year’s sixth-round pick, Walter Rouse, is another backup option at the offensive tackle positions.

Acquiring the 28-year-old was the third notable offensive line news for the Vikes within a few hours.

Once again, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah facilitated a trade with his favorite partner, the Houston Texans. He sent former second-round pick Ed Ingram to the OL-needy franchise for a 2026 sixth-rounder. Ingram was benched last season, and there was no future in Minnesota. Fries is expected to be the RG starter for years to come.

In addition to that, reports surfaced suggesting that the Vikings want to trade away center Garrett Bradbury. If no deal can be found, he is expected to be released.

Skule will likely sign his contract in the next few days and make the move official.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, 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