Center Focus Guiding Blake Brandel Before 7th Vikings Season

Aug 12, 2026 at 10:30 AM

Writer & Editor

EAGAN, Minn. — Blake Brandel leaned down to give his 2-year-old son a bedtime hug.

"Bye, dad," came Beau's toddler response. "Have fun at football!"

Brandel smiles proudly as he recounts the recent interaction. This year's Vikings Training Camp has been special in a few ways, including being the first during which Beau grasps his dad's job.

"It's so sweet. He thinks it's great," Brandel said. "And then coming out on the field after practice and running around, he's got his own little football he carries — it's really cool."

This year's camp also marks the first Brandel is solely focused on playing center since earning the Vikings starting job.

And just like Beau wished him, Brandel is having a lot of fun.

"Center is sometimes called the quarterback of the offensive line, and I love that aspect; I love trying to lead the guys," Brandel said. "I just think it fits me well. It fits my personality, and I think I can do it really well. I just love it. It's been great."

Although admittedly, not something he ever envisioned happening.

He laughs out loud, shaking his head.

"Never on my radar once," Brandel quips. "But that's how it shakes out, how it happens. It's been cool."

He played collegiately at Oregon State, making 48 straight starts for the Beavers between 2016 and 2019, earning Second-Team All-Pac-12 Conference honors following the latter season. He started every game of his final three seasons at left tackle, after lining up at right tackle for nine games as a redshirt freshman.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered the NFL landscape in the spring of 2020, forcing an all-virtual draft during which the Vikings tabbed Brandel 203^rd overall. The league-wide health-and-safety guidelines mandated physical distance and room capacity limits that also impacted the rookie's experience.

"When there were temporary lockers and all these auxiliary locker rooms, he was in one of the temporary setups," Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill said. "And when we could only have so many people in the meeting, Blake was watching the meeting on [video] in a different part of the building."

Looking back now, Brandel points out he hadn't known what to expect as a rookie anyway; plus, he couldn't afford to focus on extra hurdles while trying to make the team.

"I don't think I even realized at the time how different it was from a normal year aside from obviously getting tested [for COVID-19] every day and things like that," he laughed. "It's crazy to think about that being six years ago. But you're scared when you're a rookie, in a sense. You don't want to disappoint your coaches, your family, the vets, so you just try to handle your business the right way."

Brandel did just that.

Though he fell victim to initial roster cuts, he joined the practice squad for the season. He started the 2021 campaign on the practice squad again but in mid-October was elevated to the active roster and appeared in 13 games.

Brandel played 26 games over the 2022-23 seasons, making five starts as a swing tackle, and in 2024 started all 17 games at left guard. The Vikings drafted Donovan Jackson in 2025 and moved the first-round pick into the left guard spot, reverting Brandel back to second-string. But when Ryan Kelly suffered a concussion and backup Michael Jurgens tweaked his hamstring, Brandel found himself prepping for a Week 5 start at center despite never having played there in a game.

He'd taken a handful of practice snaps at center a couple of years prior but says it was "more of a joke" than true anticipation of ever playing.

"I'm not even kidding when I say that," Brandel said. "It was, 'Oh, let me go in and play center for this third down [in practice] and see what happens.

"It's funny how things work," he added. "But in the back of your mind, if I'm the eighth or ninth guy in the room and I'm dressing on game day, well, we need three guys to be able to snap the ball. Very rarely does it come up, but you do have to be prepared."

Brandel proved that readiness when he took the field, and the linemates he'd played alongside so many times trusted him to now conduct the group — as did the quarterback.

"Definitely nervous before that game, but I think it was Carson [Wentz] who told me, 'You're going to do great. Just let it go, let it fly.' And that was huge for me," Brandel recalled. "I think because of that, I could just go out and play football. After half a second of the ball being snapped, offensive line play becomes very similar across all five, so you just kind of have to trust your technique and let it fly. That was my approach to that game."

Jackson pointed out the center must know all five of the o-line responsibilities and make the protection call, meaning the role isn't only a mental weight but a physical adjustment.

"And Blake did it seamlessly," he said.

Brandel credits his time at Oregon State and how he was taught to learn an offense for helping make the transition.

"In my opinion, at least this offense, the best way to learn it is through the center's eyes. Typically, if you know where the center's going, you know where you should be going," he explained. "That's how I was taught in college, and then I applied that mindset for learning the offense here. I think that helped a ton. If you know everybody's calls and everybody's adjustments, it slows the game down a lot for yourself."

Brandel has tapped into various resources to put himself in the best position for success — from snapping to his wife Natalie early this offseason, to picking the brains of other offensive linemen and centers around the league, including former Vikings teammates Kelly and Garrett Bradbury and Colts center Jimmy Morrissey. He called Kelly "a huge resource" and has always looked to Bradbury for staying calm on game day.

"Garrett never lets the moment get too big," Brandel said. "I would say I'm a stressed person sometimes on game day, so trying to take a deep breath and just focusing on communication and playing freely — and Garrett always did a really good job of that."

Brandel focused daily this offseason on bettering himself for the season, while also finding moments to unplug and recharge. From checking out new restaurants with Beau and Natalie, with whom he's expecting a second son in November, to again helping coach the PICO (Pacific Islands Community of Oregon) youth football camps back in their hometown.

He's spent countless hours training, working out and spending quality time — including plenty of golfing and an offseason hiking trip — with o-line teammates this spring and summer, and he's looking comfortable as ever in the position he says has become his favorite.

He's trying out a new look for the new role, too.

After sporting a beard for his first six NFL seasons (and even before that), Brandel arrived at camp mostly bare-faced, save for a mustache.

He laughs when asked about the new look for a new position.

"I've had a bunch of positive feedback, which has been nice," Brandel said. "Natalie pitched the idea to me, and I wasn't totally sure, so of course I had to run it past our fearless leader, Brian O'Neill. And he's like, 'Sure, do it, dude. I think it'll look great.'

"It's weird to be clean shaven for the most part, but it's just a fun switch-up," he added. "We'll see if it sticks or not."

While the facial hair may not be locked in, Brandel is.

He's entering Year 7 with confidence, excitement and a newfound love for the last position he ever thought he'd play.

Husband. Dad. Teammate. Hype man. Leader. Center.

"He gives us the right calls, but he also gives us that juice on the sidelines," Jackson said. "If the guy making the calls has a positive mentality, that energy radiates to the other four linemen around him.

"I wouldn't have anybody else at center next to me."