Pro Bowl LT Listed as Trade Target for Vikings
Right-tackle-turned-left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. is in the offseason trade market, and the Minnesota Vikings need someone to protect Kirk Cousins’ blind side.
This week, the Vikings released Riley Reiff in a cap-clearing maneuver after the team was unable to reach an agreement on a contractual restructure. Reiff will now sign with another NFL team [barring a change of heart] at a price tag further south of the $17 million he was due from Minnesota via cap hit.
Ezra Cleveland was drafted in the 2nd Round of the 2020 NFL Draft to play left tackle, but Reiff was a staple at that spot on head coach Mike Zimmer’s roster. Therefore, Cleveland spent almost all of his 622 snaps at the offensive guard position in 2020. It is unknown right now if Cleveland will stay at guard or move to his organic LT spot for 2021.
If he does not transition back to left tackle, well, Bleacher Report has the Vikings covered. Brent Sobleski from Bleacher Report lists the Vikings as a trade partner for Orlando Brown’s services. He writes:
“Well, the Vikings need a new left tackle after they released Riley Reiff on Wednesday. In fact, the entire left side of their offensive front must be rebuilt. Ezra Cleveland, a 2020 second-rounder, could move back to left tackle. But Cleveland found a home at right guard last season. Otherwise, the Vikings have next to no left tackle options. Schematically, Brown is interesting because he’s not necessarily an ideal fit in the Vikings’ wide-zone system. The young lineman does an outstanding job of working his angles and using his 6’8″, 345-pound size and length to his advantage. At the same time, he’s not an elite athlete. Asking him to consistently make the back-side blocks necessary for the system to work may be too much. To be fair, Brown has been regularly asked to pull and make blocks on the move since college, so the transition may not be overwhelming. Minnesota could target an offensive tackle with this year’s 14th pick. Still, the possibility of getting an established lineman just entering his prime is a tantalizing alternative”.
A Humongous Person
Bleacher Report does not detail what the Vikings will surrender to acquire Brown. But if general manager Rick Spielman figures that part out, Minnesota will employ a mammoth human being at left tackle.
Brown is 6’8”, 345 lbs. He is essentially Bryant McKinnie’s size, and that particular University of Miami (FL) alumnus anchored the Vikings offensive line for a decade. Ezra Cleveland is 6’6”, 311lbs. To put it bluntly, Brown is a much bigger man than Cleveland.
At that size, Brown is a prototypical offensive tackle – a throwback to how the Vikings “used to do it” before becoming enamored with the zone-blocking scheme.
Not a Zone-Blocking Scheme Fit
A rebuke to the trade-for-Brown fodder is rooted in “fit.” Indeed, he is not a zone-blocking aficionado in terms of x’s and o’s. The Vikings enjoy utilizing nimble big men to pass-protect and run-block, although it has not been overly effective as of late. Minnesota notoriously takes trips to cellar for dwelling activities on pass-protecting acumen. Brown undoubtedly keeps quarterbacks upright, yet he does not fit the “power forward” classification that Minnesota recently exalts for offensive trenchmen.
Can offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak finagle a solution to host Brown with the other zone-blocking personalities? Probably. It merely has not been a point of emphasis over the last few years.
Vikings enthusiasts much ask themselves: Would the pass protection really suffer by adding a Pro Bowl left tackle? If the answer is yes, the best remedy may be deviating from the zone-blocking system over time because it has not netted illustrious results – at all – during Zimmer’s tenure as head coach.
A Young, Tremendous Left Tackle
Look – Brown will be 25 years old in May. He is a better football player than Riley Reiff. He is a younger man than Reiff by seven years. Brown’s Pro Football Focus grade is virtually identical to Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill.
Brown entered the NFL in 2018 and has reached the Pro Bowl twice in three seasons. Not bad for a tackle currently under the age of 25.
The irresistible aspect of Brown’s resume is that he is a magnificent pass-blocker. The Vikings don’t have many of those – if any – outside of Brian O’Neill. If Kubiak and Zimmer can determine how to coagulate Brown’s size with a zone-blocking scheme, then this trade idea is a no-brainer for exploration.
Minnesota’s pass protection has not been very good for a decade. A swap of assets for Brown is a gargantuan step in addressing that malady.
