Will the Vikings Pull Off the Greatest Line Overhaul?
The Minnesota Vikings have more than a few areas to address this offseason. They have a boatload of impending free agents, and for a team that hasn’t drafted well, they’ll need to supplement the roster.
Will the Vikings Pull Off the Greatest Line Overhaul?
Two of the most problematic areas on Minnesota’s roster this season were the interior linemen. On the offensive side, Garrett Bradbury was pushed around while being bookended by Blake Brandel and, eventually, Dalton Risner. That group couldn’t open holes for running back Aaron Jones, and it constantly proved costly in the red zone.
It’s great that Jones was able to generate a career-best rushing total this season, but he struggled to find the end zone when within sniffing distance solely because of the offensive line. The position will turn over next year, and although Jones could be back, the reality is that Kevin O’Connell needs a much better foot put forward from his big guys up front.
On the defensive side, the Vikings grabbed a pair of exceptional edge rushers in Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard. Both excelled throughout the entirety of the season. Unfortunately, the push from the middle didn’t work as well, and that was constantly prevalent.
The Vikings had a stout running defense for most of the year, but the interior defensive line fell apart. Jonathan Bullard, Jerry Tillery, and Harrison Phillips weren’t enough to finish the job. Finding a player who can address those issues will be crucial.
Minnesota doesn’t have enough draft capital to address both line situations. Doing it through the draft would also be a crapshoot, given the late-round picks and acumen that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has shown thus far. Although there’s a significant amount of cap space for the Vikings, there are only so many free-agent fits, and multiple suitors will emerge.
If the Vikings can rectify their trenches this offseason, they stand to take a sizable step forward on both sides of the ball. They have won 14 games while dealing with these issues, so if they can fix them, the expected slide backward should be minimized.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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