Encouraging News for Vikings Rookie LT
When the Minnesota Vikings travel to Illinois for a division showdown with the Chicago Bears on Monday, their offensive line might be showcasing its best possible version.
Rookie left tackle Christian Darrisaw missed the last two games after an ankle injury in Week 12 at the San Francisco 49ers. Since the loss in Santa Clara, Minnesota has employed a hodgepodge offensive line – a habit not unfamiliar to the way this brand of Vikings does things.
Now, though, Darrisaw could be on track to play against the Bears in Week 15. The rookie lineman is back at practice, albeit in limited capacity:
Darrisaw’s temporary replacement, Oli Udoh, started the season at right guard next to tackle Brian O’Neill, performing well for a few weeks. But then the penalties began. For a couple of months, Udoh hasn’t resembled Minnesota’s longterm solution anywhere in the offensive trenches.
But Darrisaw is that solution, per early-career indications.
The Virginia Tech alumnus impressed in his first six games, firing up a commendable 66.6 grade from Pro Football Focus. Darrisaw is considered the left tackle of the future for the Vikings, so when his maiden voyage scores in the 60s by PFF standards, the career trajectory is encouraging.
He’s also the missing link to an otherwise jelling offensive line. When center Garrett Bradbury contracted the coronavirus in November, reservist C/G Mason Cole stepped in, playing marvelously – and well worth the 6th-Round tradebait sent to the Arizona Cardinals by general manager Rick Spielman. Cole played so efficiently at center during Bradbury’s absence that Minnesota’s coaching staff moved him to right guard when Darrisaw was hurt.
The working theory, upon Darrisaw’s return to action, is the line could look like this for the rest of 2021 and perhaps beyond:
LT – Christian Darrisaw (PFF = 66.6)
LG – Ezra Cleveland (PFF = 65.5)
C – Garrett Bradbury (PFF = 64.3)
RG – Mason Cole (PFF = 75.7)
RT – Brian O’Neill (PFF = 72.7)
Don’t look now, but that group is actually a fivesome to create optimism. And it doesn’t even take into account an eventual debut of rookie guard Wyatt Davis, who has been curiously disallowed from action in 2021. Per draft scouting reports, Davis was reportedly the “most game-ready” guard in all of the 2021 draft class. No such luck, though, from the Vikings coaching staff on having a look.
Darrisaw is inching back to action, hoping to further solve an offensive line that notoriously struggles with pass blocking. Mike Zimmer’s offensive lines normally plow lanes for running backs admirably, but keeping Kirk Cousins upright or free from pocket pressure is a longstanding problem.
If Darrisaw is back on Monday night – or soon after – Vikings fans will get a peek at arguably the best OL combination available to the team in years.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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