Jun 11, 2019; Eagan, MN, USA; A Minnesota Vikings helmet sits on the field at TCO Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports
The Vikings have to get the roster down to 53. Waiving two offensive linemen gets the organization closer to that goal. Before that move, the Vikings have already parted ways with two more prominent names, quarterback Kellen Mond and edge rusher Janarius Robinson,
The Vikings struggled at the guard spot for years, and one player was supposed to fix that — Wyatt Davis. He played hurt in his final season at Ohio State and, therefore, couldn’t repeat his successful 2019 campaign. Davis was once touted as a first-round talent. The Vikings ended up drafting the guard with a third-round pick, with the 86th overall pick, to be exact.
After inconsistent play in the 2021 preseason, Davis was inactive in the regular season. Vikings fans were starting to get impatient. Despite the immense struggles of Oli Udoh at right guard, the Vikings made no efforts to get Davis ready for a game. He did not play a single snap on offense in 2021.
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2022 was supposed to be a fresh start for the guard. He worked in the offseason with offensive line guru Duke Mannyweather. In the three preseason games in 2022, Davis was buried on the depth chart, despite Chris Reed missing two games and the Vikings resting the starters. He only played on 58 snaps and allowed one sack.
The offensive guard will get another shot somewhere in the NFL by default. That’s what happens with high draft picks. However, the odds that he can develop into a starting caliber player are trending in the wrong direction.
The center was part of the undrafted free agent class. He played his college ball at Sacred Heart University. Sokol has always been a long shot to make the 53-man roster. In the preseason, he often played next to Wyatt Davis. After playing against weaker competition in college, the adjustment was hard for him.
However, he played some good football in the preseason. The center is a perfect candidate for one of the 16 practice squad spots, as he has some untapped potential. There’s a chance that he will develop into a quality backup center.
That leaves two centers on the roster. Garrett Bradbury has struggled since his draft in 2019. His lacking anchor and play strength is a reason for concern for all Vikings fans.
The other option is Austin Schlottmann. The veteran backup center played really well in the preseason and could’ve earned himself a roster spot.
The final possible center is actually a guard. Chris Reed was signed in free agency to play guard, but Ed Ingram ran away with that job. He played some games at center in past preseasons. Reed had an excellent game against the Broncos on Saturday, his lone game this year, as he missed the matchups against the Raiders and the 49ers injured.
The Vikings may bring in another center from the waiver wire or trade for one.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt