Ryan Poles
Nothing is settled for the Minnesota Vikings choosing a new general manager or head coach, but a frontrunner for general manager is subtly emerging.
The Vikings capped the first round of GM interviews on Thursdays, likely moving to the next phase of second interviews. Additionally, the New York Giants hired Joe Schoen from the Buffalo Bills front office on Friday, wiping one name off the board for GM-needy organizations.
And the man who was also a finalist for the Giants job appears to be moving to the front of the pack of the Vikings search – and that is Ryan Poles from the Kansas City Chiefs front office.
Poles’ frontrunner status isn’t totally ironclad, but there is general momentum surrounding his candidacy. Making it to the final round of the Giants search bodes well for the 36-year-old Poles. Too, when the Vikings interviewed Poles, they were reportedly “really impressed” by the Chiefs executive.
These are some of the tweets implying Poles-to-Minnesota is a real possibility.
ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller eyes Poles to the Vikings:
Also from ESPN, Courtney Cronin opined:
And some of the other one-off tweets about Poles:
And the granddaddy of all frontrunner confirmations:
Poles as the Vikings general manager would be particularly encouraging because of the Chiefs offensive line strategy last offseason. One year ago, Kansas City lost the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Patrick Mahomes’ pass protection was sinful. He was creamed repeatedly, and even Superman himself couldn’t overcome it.
In theory, since Poles is familiar with fixing a broken offensive line, he could replicate the strategy in Minnesota. For a decade – since the departure of Steve Hutchinson and Bryant McKinnie – the Vikings trenches have floundered via pass protection. It simply hasn’t been a priority.
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But with Poles, he might be a human who finally realizes the trenches matter in football, signing and drafting players to keep Kirk Cousins or the next quarterback upright. It’s a novel concept.
It is unclear who Poles will hire as his head coach, but his ties to Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy are obvious. And that’s on top of ties Bieniemy already has to the Vikings, coaching running backs in Minnesota from 2006 to 2010.
Poles’ Chiefs take on the Buffalo Bills this Sunday in the AFC’s Divisional playoff round.
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).