Vikings Eye OG as Next Free Agent Move
Mitchel Massman
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The Vikings have been using free agency to rebuild a depleted defense. They added Jordan Hicks, Harrison Phillips, and Za’Darius Smith.
Now, the Vikings are eyeing a guard as their next free agency move.
The Vikings offensive line has been a topic of discussion for years now. The last time the offensive line was objectively good was when Adrian Peterson was a Viking. This is not a surprise, as the entire offense was centered around Adrian. The offensive line at the time was part of the reason he was so good.
However, since then, Rick Spielman failed to rebuild an offensive line that resembled anything close to what it once was. In 2020, he made a conscious decision to trot Dakota Dozier onto the field as a starting guard for 16 games. Yes, it’s technically the coach’s decision as to who plays, but Zimmer had to choose between Dozier, Pat Elflein, and Dru Samia.
My goodness, do we all remember what Dru Samia looked like playing the Colts? If not, here is a little reminder:
Anyway, I digress.
The Vikings have a brand new regime as ownership elected to move on from Zimmer and Spielman. Now, it is up to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell to add the pieces to the offensive line to keep Kirk Cousins on his feet.
What’s the Latest Buzz Around the Vikings Guard Search?
While the Vikings have spent the majority of free agency focusing on the defense, their attention is now turning to the offensive line. Some fans might be upset that it has taken them this long to address the needs at the center and guard position. However, the defense was, and still might be, in far worse shape.
The Vikings appear to be more interested in guard than center. They currently have an offer on Ryan Bates. Although, that decision could take a while as the Buffalo Bills have a right of first of refusal on him. All this means is that whatever offer that Bates accepts (Vikings, Patriots, Bears), the Bills have the opportunity to match.
While fans wait on that decision, Kwesi is continuing to look elsewhere. VikeFans reported via Twitter that the Vikings are showing interest in Ereck Flowers.
Who is Ereck Flowers?
Ereck Flowers is a former first-round draft pick. He was selected 9th overall by the New York Giants in the 2015 draft as an offensive tackle. He played for the Giants for three years but never lived up to the hype of a top-10 draft pick.
Since then, he has bounced around the NFL. He spent one year with Jaguars, a year with Washington, a year with the Dolphins, and then back in Washington for another year. However, when he went to Washington in 2019, he transitioned from tackle to guard.
Once Flowers learned the guard position, he began improving, as you can see in his PFF grades:
- 2019 – 64.1
- 2020 – 65.9
- 2021 – 72.0
There will always be a learning curve when transitioning positions, but it is encouraging to see him improving year over year.
While I would prefer to land Ryan Bates, well, I would really like JC Tretter. Ereck Flowers would not be a bad signing either. As long as the Vikings can sign him for a relatively inexpensive contract, this could be a good addition to the team. At the very least, this creates a camp competition for Wyatt Davis.
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