The Vikings Have a Strange Offensive Line Dilemma
The Minnesota Vikings possess an offensive line dilemma, and it’s the damndest thing.
Here’s the deal: the franchise has two trench-anchoring tackles heading into the 2022 regular season, and not a single human in the Vikings community believes the team is “set” in the offensive trenches.
Think about it. Brian O’Neill is handsomely paid to lock down the right side of the line for the next several years. He was a 2nd-Round gem of a find by former general manager Rick Spielman. Then, in the 2021 NFL Draft, Spielman scooped Christian Darrisaw from the 1st Round after a fancy trade with the New York Jets, which also netted Kellen Mond and Wyatt Davis. He plays left tackle, firing up a 71.9 grade from Pro Football Focus during his maiden voyage season.
The Vikings community shouldn’t have this much apprehension about the offensive line in 2022. Still, it’s real.
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And that’s because the guts of the line are suspicious. Garrett Bradbury didn’t — or hasn’t yet — panned out as a 1st-Round center. Centers drafted in the 1st Round should be absolutely marvelous, slam dunk choices. Otherwise, most teams wait until after the 1st Round to secure center services.
Nope. Spielman wanted to “be sure” in 2019, so he plucked Bradbury, an ill-fated decision, for now, in retrospect.
Not too much negativity can we spewed about Ezra Cleveland. He was tossed around on the Vikings offensive line, landing at the left guard spot in 2021, where he graded a 68.6 from PFF, a Jordanesque score by Vikings OL standards. Cleveland is a keeper.
But the right guard position is a notorious place for criticism. In 2020, the Vikings employed Dakota Dozier and Dru Samia, who were laughably terrible, scoring below 45.0 per PFF, respectively. Mason Cole did a decent job at RG in 2021 — filling in for the Dozier-Samia inedible sandwich — but he, of course, went to a different team this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This offseason, the Vikings new coaching staff, led by Kevin O’Connell, will have a true-blue summer battle at RG, pitting Wyatt Davis, Jesse Davis, Chris Reed, and Oli Udoh against each other. Yes, the same Udoh who led the NFL in penalties last year (those are more of the RG woes).
On the whole, though, with O’Neill and Darrisaw as the OL cornerstones, anxiety shouldn’t exist among fans. Those spots — the tackles — should be the tricky aspects to figure out. Yet, the fear of continued pass-protecting futility is real because of nauseating stats like this [for a team employing a pocket passer].
The only cure is time and faith. O’Neill, Cleveland, and Darrisaw are buildable pieces. It’s up to the new staff and general manager to solve the center and right guard areas.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. 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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