3 Ways the Vikings Offensive Line Can Pan Out for 2021
Dustin Baker
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What was theorized for the Minnesota Vikings offseason free agency plans = Offensive Line.
The reality for the Minnesota Vikings offseason free agency plans to date = Defense.
It should surprise no one remotely familiar with the Vikings organization that the defense-first coach loaded up on defensive personnel to commence the 2021 calendar year. Head coach Mike Zimmer was hired seven years ago to usher in an era of barbaric defense. If 2020 can be conveniently erased from memory, Minnesota’s ownership and its fans have been granted precisely that. Since Zimmer took the reins in 2014, the Vikings rank sixth in the NFL in points allowed. Subtract the injury-riddled 2020 season (just for argument) from that metric, and Zimmer’s bunch is second in the business via points allowed, just behind the New England Patriots.
In the seven seasons prior to Zimmer’s arrival – 2007 to 2013 – the Vikings ranked 23rd in the NFL for points allowed.
Of course, the memory of 2020 can only be dimmed from brains – not extinguished. Zimmer was evidently deeply peeved by his defense, so general manager Rick Spielman went shopping. And all he has put into his cart to date are defensive players: Stephen Weatherly (DE), Dalvin Tomlinson (3DT), Nick Vigil (LB), Patrick Peterson (CB), Mackensie Alexander (CB), and Xavier Woods (FS). Defense, defense, and more defense.
None of those men play offensive line – the Vikings most glaring roster hole.
Here is what the team’s 2020 offensive line will probably look like. Consider these either-or scenarios.
Cleveland / Vera-Tucker / Bradbury / Cole / O’Neill
The Vikings own the 14th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. There is a strong possibility that Spielman trades back – per his modus operandi – to snatch a 2nd-Round pick from someone else. The team lost its 2nd-Rounder during the bizarre Yannick Ngakoue trade last summer.
By either trading back or staying put, there is a reasonable chance that Spielman taps Aljiah Vera-Tucker, an offensive lineman from USC, for purple duty.
Vera-Tucker would be outfitted with second-year left tackle, Ezra Cleveland, to his left. And then [down the line, literally] Garrett Bradbury, Mason Cole, and Brian O’Neill to his right. Cole was obtained by the Vikings last week from the Arizona Cardinals for a 6th-Round draft pick.
This is arguably the least snazzy option. But it would likely have better results than 2020.
Rashawn Slater / Cole / Bradbury / Cleveland / O’Neill
A left tackle from Northwestern, Rashawn Slater is an enigma for mock drafts. Sometimes, he slips to the mid-teens to 20s while other analysts claim that he is even better than Penei Sewell from the Oregon Ducks.
Should the Vikings stay put at #14 and Slater tumbles in their direction, Slater effectively marries Best Player Available and Roster Need draft philosophies. He would join Mason Cole (or a free agent guard to be named later – hopefully), Bradbury, Cleveland, and O’Neill on the 2021 offensive line, from left to right.
Here, Cleveland remains at right guard – the spot he inhabited in 2020 during his rookie season.
Eric Fisher / New Guy / Bradbury / Cleveland / O’Neill
Eric Fisher-to-Vikings has been whispered for about two weeks. He is allegedly interested in joining Minnesota but is battling a recovery from an Achilles injury – one suffered in the 2020 AFC Championship game as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The former 1st Overall pick from 2013, Fisher, would add instant legitimacy to a bad Vikings offensive line. He is not a top-tier left tackle, but he isn’t terribly far away from that designation.
Then, a guard like Forrest Lamp or Trai Turner could be tossed into the mix from free agency, solidifying an offensive line built on experience rather than youthful maybes. Or – the “new guy” might be the aforementioned Vera-Tucker, Landon Dickerson from Alabama, or Creed Humphrey from Oklahoma – all 2021 rookies. This indeed pivots back to inexperience with Vera-Tucker, Dickerson, or Humphrey. But either of those men would probably perform better than Dru Samia or Dakota Dozier in 2020.
Offensive line “fixing” has been the bane of the offseason, primarily because the organization seems to have no sense of urgency in repairing the most troublesome spot on the depth chart.
However, Vikings fans likely need a little patience – a tricky habit to implement in The Digital Age.