Vikings Toss a Grenade at Bills, Swoop in to Steal Away O-Lineman

In the NHL, opting to pluck away restricted free agents can be seen as a controversial move that rankles rival GMs. Is the same true of the NFL? If so, the Vikings tossed a grenade at the Bills.

Consider the basic update that arrived courtesy of Alec Lewis of The Athletic: “The Vikings have signed Bills RFA T Ryan Van Demark to an offer sheet, per source.” Last year’s swing tackle, Justin Skule, hasn’t been brought back, so the move for Van Demark appears to be in an effort to beef up the OT3 spot.

Vikings Toss a Grenade at Bills with OT Contract

As things stand, the Vikings don’t have a pile of cap space, but there’s some money to burn. Combine that (modest) financial freedom alongside a roster need and the marriage makes sense, at least in a general sense.

Buffalo could still swoop in to retain the tackle, as Kevin Seifert notes: “The Vikings have signed OT Ryan Van Demark, a restricted free agent who has started six games for the Bills over the past two seasons, to an offer sheet. The Bills have the right of first refusal, but the Vikings wouldn’t owe the Bills any draft pick compensation if they don’t.”

Tom Pelissero further clarifies that the hourglass has tipped over, giving Buffalo “five days to match.”

Consider some of the basics for Mr. Van Demark.

The blocker is listed as being 6’7″ and 307, a nice build to be an NFL lineman. In a few days, he’ll hit his 28th birthday, meaning he’s basically in the middle of his prime.

Since joining the NFL in 2022 as a Colts UDFA add, Van Demark has played in forty-three games, starting a half dozen. All of his on-field work has taken place in Buffalo.

Check out his career snaps breakdown:

• LT: 180 Career Snaps
• LG: 1 Career Snap
• RT: 375 Career Snaps
• TE: 1 Career Snap

In all likelihood, that tight end snap was about blocking beef and not running a route. Blake Brandel has done that job before.

The 2025 season involved Ryan Van Demark surrendering 2 sacks, 1 quarterback hit, and 9 pressures. He got dinged with committing a trio of penalties. Overall, he performed well, earning a healthy 74.4 grade on PFF.

Right now, the Vikings’ top need among the front five exists at center. What could be occurring, though, is an effort to shore up the OT spot, thereby fortifying the C spot. A two-for-one deal, of sorts. Blake Brandel can play any of the five positions; does signing a strong OT3 in Ryan Van Demark free Brandel to focus on snapping? If so, then there would be an internal domino effect.

So far, the only external additions within free agency have been for QB Kyler Murray and CB James Pierre. Seeing the signing for the backup OT solidify would bring the tally up to three.

Note that Minnesota dropped the same RFA contract onto LB Ivan Pace Jr., who is carrying a $3,520,000 cap charge. Maybe he gets stolen away in a similar fashion.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.

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