One Player Could Switch Positions for Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings might need an offensive guard or two this offseason, and they could find a homegrown option already on the depth chart.
One Player Could Switch Positions for Vikings
Vikings Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Ryan Grigson spoke about offensive tackle Walter Rouse last week and hinted the young trenchman could audition at guard.
Grigson claimed that “Rouse is a very big man” who is a “high-level worker” and “smart” during a conversation with KFAN’s Paul Allen. He also lauded Rouse’s intelligence, work ethic, and general traits needed to blossom into an NFL starter eventually.
“Rouse has got some reps at guard. With him being so big, he kind of fits the mold of someone that could body someone and get into their pads and be able to move them off the ball because he is physically strong, he’s got good quickness,” Grigson continued.
If the Vikings did nothing this offseason via iOL improvement, the team would again feature center Garrett Bradbury, with Blake Brandel and Ed Ingram at his sides as guards. Most fans assume the club will replace at least one interior lineman in the next couple of months, and perhaps two.
Additionally, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis name-dropped Rouse and his OL teammate, Michael Jurgens, as possible in-house fixes last month: “Over the last year, the Vikings have believed that Rouse and Jurgens could play meaningful roles on the interior of the offensive line.”
“Considering the urgency of Minnesota’s need to revamp its interior offensive line group — with proven and productive players — it does not make sense to thrust Rouse and Jurgens into these roles now. So, what does the future hold for these two in the short term?”
Using Jurgens and Rouse would be bold and ambitious. Why? Well, neither man played on offense at all in 2024. The two rookies played zero offensive snaps, sprinkled in a bit on special teams for good measure.
Regarding Rouse specifically, he’s a tackle at heart, but he told VikesNow last May, “If the Vikings need me to play guard, I’ll be the best guard they’ve ever seen.”
And remember Kevin O’Connell’s musings after the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. “There’s no question that we got to be able to find a way to give a quarterback time. Especially with players like Jordan Addison, Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, we got to find a way to solidify the interior of the pocket, starting first and foremost,” O’Connell told reporters after the defeat in January.
O’Connell added, “There can be a thousand excuses made. But, for me, it’s the foundation of the interior of the pocket that we’re going to have to take a long look at.”
While most fans hope the Vikings strike oil in free agency with a man like Will Fries, don’t forget about a player in Rouse, who could represent a young, affordable, and internal solution.
He’s already on Ryan Grigson’s mind.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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