Minnesota Vikings Free Agency Preview: Interior Offensive Line

Courtesy of vikings.com

[Note:  This segment is a part of a position-by-position look at what the Minnesota Vikings might be inclined to do during the 2015 free agency period.  This is the eighth article, focusing on the cornerbacks.  In case you missed it, feel free to check out the quarterbacksrunning backs, tight ends, fullbacks, wide outsspecialists, safeties and cornerbacks.]

Welcome back to the free agency preview series as we look at potential fits for the Vikings across every position. Today, I’d like to look at the interior of the offensive line.

There are a couple opinions when it comes to the Vikings offensive line. There is little doubt that the team needs to improve the group in hopes of protecting Teddy Bridgewater and paving the way for whoever is carrying the football for the team in 2015.

There are, however, wavering opinions on where the greatest impact can be found. Some believe the entire left side of the line needs to be overhauled – meaning Matt Kalil and Charlie Johnson would find themselves losing their roles on the team. Others believe Kalil should be given more time to figure himself out, but Charlie Johnson has played his last down as a Viking.

Regardless of your opinion on Kalil, I think it would be wise for the Vikings to find a replacement for Johnson at left guard, while also identifying some additional depth for John Sullivan at center. As for the right side of the line, the Vikings are set at right guard with Brandon Fusco, who is a stellar talent and signed a 5 year extension prior to last season.

The Vikings did draft a guard last year in David Yankee Yankey, but Yankey saw no game action and suited up only a few times. With the injuries the Vikings faced on the offensive line last year, clearly the Vikings didn’t feel comfortable with Yankey’s progression and development to play him. That’s pretty concerning, in my opinion.

Additionally, John Sullivan is a heck of an offensive lineman for the Vikings. A long time figure in the huddle, there is little doubt in my mind that Sullivan helped our rookie quarterback in terms of identifying defenses and calling line protections. Sullivan can’t play forever, though, and as he ages, I fear the length of the season will continue to wear on his body. Adding some depth behind Sullivan would be a smart insurance policy.

Let’s start with guard. Below is a list of potential fits for the Vikings from sportrac.com. There are absolutely some names that jump out at you.

Mike Iupati G 27 SF TBD $4,625,863 UFA
Dan Connolly G 32 NE TBD $4,083,333 UFA
Rob Sims G 31 DET TBD $3,775,000 UFA
Erik Pears G 32 BUF TBD $3,450,000 UFA
Jeromey Clary G 31 SD TBD $3,300,000 UFA
James Carpenter G 25 SEA TBD $2,431,364 UFA
Willie Colon G 31 NYJ TBD $2,000,000 UFA
Daryn Colledge G 33 MIA TBD $2,000,000 UFA
Davin Joseph G 31 STL TBD $1,750,000 UFA
Clint Boling G 25 CIN TBD $1,551,362 UFA
Joe Reitz G 27 IND TBD $1,431,000 UFA
Orlando Franklin G 27 DEN TBD $1,386,000 UFA

I wanted to highlight a few names that I think would be solid fits for the Vikings and provide some reasoning as to why.

Mike Iupati, 27, San Fransisco
You will continually see a recurring trend in my free agency previews. A lot of time, age is the #1 qualifying criteria. This obviously isn’t unique to me by any means. This is a trend everyone has likely noticed across the NFL, young talent trumps all. Iupati fits this criteria incredibly well. The fourth year man out of the University of Idaho, Iupati was one of the key moves made by the 49ers to quickly improve their offensive line in 2010. Iupati has been key in helping pave the way for Frank Gore and would fit Mike Zimmer’s desire to fill the Vikings roster with hard nosed football players. If there is downside to Iupati, it’s his price tag. Surely commanding a large contract, the Vikings might shy away from throwing a lot of cash Iupati’s way. Don’t get me wrong, Iupati is a good offensive line talent, but he’s not Steve Hutchinson and I think the Vikings would be hesitant to give him a Hutchinson type of contract.

Clint Boling, 25, Cincinnati
By now, Boling is likely on the radar of many Viking fans. He’s exceptional in the run game and is only 25 years old. Boling actually graded out better than Iupati did in 2014 in terms of pass blocking and might be a happy medium for the Vikings, who will surely throw the ball more moving into 2015. Of course, there is the Zimmer connection to Boling and Cincinnati, but it’s difficult to gauge Zimmer’s relationship with Boling, who played on the opposite side of the ball. Boling will be sure to be paid well with his new contract, but will command less than Iupati and could be a better fit in terms of age and skill set as well.

Orlando Franklin, 27, Denver
Franklin is a converted tackle who held up well for Denver in 2014. In fact, when comparing Franklin, Boling and Iupati, Franklin actually had the highest profootballfocus.com score. Franklin’s versatility is appealing, as he might be able to serve as a 3rd tackle if necessary due to injury. Like any offensive lineman who is coming off a solid year, Franklin will likely look to cash in prior to turning 30 years old, the proverbial kiss of death of the NFL. With Denver paying a lot of money to several players, I don’t think there’s much of a chance they can afford Franklin moving forward.

Joe Reitz, 25, Indianapolis
Reitz is an interesting option for the Vikings and to be honest, could be the typical Vikings free agency acquisition. Reitz fits the age demographic well and saw limited action for the Colts in 2014. Although he did grade out well, there is pretty limited tape on Reitz, so it’s a bit difficult to project his potential fit. Because of this, however, it means Reitz would likely cost much less than the names listed above. If nothing else, Reitz could prove to be a nice depth option for the Vikings.

Now that we’ve explored the guard position, let’s take a quick look at center.

Nick Hardwick C 33 SD TBD $6,150,000 UFA
Will Montgomery C 32 DEN TBD $1,925,000 UFA
Samson Satele C 30 MIA TBD $1,859,375 UFA
Dominic Raiola C 36 DET TBD $1,500,000 UFA
Stefen Wisniewski C 25 OAK TBD $1,315,810 UFA
Rodney Hudson C 25 KC TBD $1,115,577 UFA
Brian De La Puente C 29 CHI TBD $795,001 UFA
Doug Legursky C 28 SD TBD $687,059 UFA
Jacques McClendon C 27 JAC TBD $645,000 ERFA
Rich Ohrnberger C 29 SD TBD $635,000 UFA
Jonathan Goodwin C 36 NO TBD $635,000 UFA
Joe Berger C 32 MIN TBD $635,000 UFA
Cody White C 26 HOU TBD $570,000 RFA
A.Q. Shipley C 28 IND TBD $570,000 RFA
Kevin Matthews C 28 CAR TBD $570,000 UFA
Tim Barnes C 26 STL TBD $570,000 RFA

Looking at this list, a name like Rodney Hudson is very appealing. Only 25, Hudson is proving to be a very good center for Kansas City. However, he’s not back up material, he is the type of player who could very well find himself making some pro bowl appearance in the very near future. Too much money for the Viking’s tastes and ultimately isn’t a fit at this point.

Jacques McClendon, 27, Jacksonville
McClendon was the back up in Jacksonville last year and could add some youth to the position. He didn’t grade out terribly well, but for a guy you are asking to be a back up, you won’t find much else.

Joe Berger, 32, Minnesota
Berger played well in relief of Sullivan last year and I believe even found time at guard when the Vikings needed. His versatility is awesome and something the Vikings like very much. The downside is his age at this point, but for a guy who isn’t going to get a lot of snaps, you might be able to squeeze a few more years out of him.

Tim Barnes, 26, St. Louis
Barnes might be the best fit for the Vikings across the board. He’s young, has some experience and could fit the depth model. Not to mention, St. Louis currently carries 3 centers on their roster. I have a hard time they’ll look to do so again in 2015. There is downside in the fact that Barnes is a restricted free agent, though, and the Vikings might opt not to pursue him.

Prediction:

The Vikings have been very open with the fact that they don’t anticipate being very active in free agency. That very well might be true, however, I think it’s a bit of a smoke screen. Ultimately, you can spend safely on the offensive line and make a huge and immediate impact without having to wonder how the draft will pan out.

I’m not sure I’m sold on the Vikings adding a offensive lineman via free agency. To clarify, this doesn’t mean I don’t want them to, I’m just not sure they actually will. I think they will give Kalil another year at left tackle, but could add a player like Brandon Scherff in the draft. Scherff would give flexbility to play both guard and tackle if needed, something I noted in my first mock draft.

If the Vikings do choose to spend in free agency, I can’t help but wonder if they opt to do so on the defensive side of the ball because of Zimmer’s ability to soundly evaluate the positions. That may give them more confidence in the way they spend their money.

I feel like a broken record with this, but again, I feel like a lot of this is again dependent on Adrian Peterson. With the most recent news that broke yesterday, Peterson could very well be on his way out of town. If that’s the case, the Vikings would more than likely choose to spend more in free agency, finding themselves with $15M more than they do today.

It will be interesting to see how the Vikings decide to improve the offensive line, clearly there are several options. Soon, we’ll take a look at tackle and evaluate any potnetial fits for the team in hopes of securing Bridgewater’s blindside.

Until then, Viking fans, Skol!

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