Vikings OL Analysis...
The big picture
Throughout the Mike Zimmer era in Minnesota, the offensive line has largely been an Achillies heel. Since 2014 the Vikings have ranked 23rd, 28th, 30th, 17th, 27th and and 27th in pass blocking by Pro Football Focus’s grading system.
And despite the general perception that the Vikings haven’t invested enough up front but it really isn’t for a lack of trying. The current line is made up of a left tackle who was signed in free agency to a $59 million contract, a third-round pick, a first-round pick, a free agent who signed a three-year $15.5 million deal and a second-round pick.
In terms of the 2019 group’s performance, Gary Kubiak and Kevin Stefanski’s system helped cover up some of the issues with pass protection. The Vikings gave up the sixth fewest sacks and only had one linemen rank in the bottom half at his position in pressures allowed. But their performances in pass protection were sub par.
https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2020/01/the-future-of-the-vikings-part-4-the-offensive-line/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Tackle
The Vikings have a difficult decision to make on Riley Reiff.
He is set to carry a $13.2 million cap hit next year, which would be among the highest at his position. If they elected to move on from the veteran tackle, the front office would pick up $8.8 million in cap space.
Reiff hasn’t been so good that they could never consider moving on or so bad that the choice would be easy to cut him. Over the past three seasons he has ranked 26th (of 60), 22nd (of 62) and 38th (of 57) by PFF grades. He’s been the definition of an average player, performing well against average competition but struggling against top edge rushers. In three games against the Bears over the last two years, for example, he allowed 15 pressures. Reiff gave up five pressures in the divisional-round loss to the 49ers while matching up with Nick Bosa.
If they decide to release Reiff, there will be other options on the market. The free agent crop includes a number of quality left and right tackles.
Free agents (PFF grade): Jason Peters (6th), Anthony Castonzo (7th), Jack Conklin (12th), Bryan Bulaga (13th), Andrew Whitworth (24th), Demar Dotson (27th), Kelvin Beachum (33rd), Greg Robinson (34th), DJ Humphries (38th), Donald Penn (40th)
The Vikings could move Brian O’Neill to left tackle, where he played in college at Pitt. Signing a right tackle like Jack Conklin would make for an instant improvement in pass protection. Of course Conklin would require somewhere in the $13-$15 million range, which would take away from their ability to sign players in other important areas like cornerback and safety.
They could also spend a first or second round pick on a tackle and throw them into the fire but NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah only lists four tackles in his top 50 players in the draft, meaning that getting a Day 1 starter could be challenging. Plus if the Vikings are looking to compete for the NFC North again, it might not be prudent to ask a rookie to take on the likes of Khalil Mack and Zadarius Smith.
The middle
The Vikings pass protection from their two guards and center was among the worst in the NFL but they were largely effective in run blocking for Dalvin Cook. They were simply incapable of handling top interior pass rushers like Grady Jarrett and Kenny Clark but also operated a fairly complex package of power and zone runs.
If Minnesota is willing to sacrifice pass protection for run effectiveness, they could keep the status quo on the inside and hope that Year 2 of the offensive line would improve with more chemistry and comfort with the system. But that would appear to be wishful thinking after two straight years of struggles against pass rushers from left guard Pat Elflein.
While neither Garrett Bradbury or Josh Kline were any better — in fact, the rookie center was the worst pass blocker in the NFL per PFF — we aren’t likely to see change at center or right guard in 2020
Free agents: Joe Thuney (5th), Brandon Scherff (7th), Ereck Flowers (28th), Michael Schofield (30th), Mike Iupati (42nd), Daryl Williams (50th), Quinton Spain (51st), Alex Lewis (52nd).
It makes sense to look to the draft again and hope to build a line that will be sturdy for years to come. But the issue with trying to fill the left guard position with a draft pick is that the competition in the NFC North is stiff and we could see a repeat of Bradbury’s first season with struggles to get up to speed against elite players.
The “red shirts”
Mike Zimmer said he was intrigued by some of the younger offensive linemen who didn’t see much of the field this year because the O-line was largely healthy all season. Namely fourth-round pick Dru Samia and sixth-rounder Oli Udoh. Both played Week 17 but there wasn’t much to glean from the glorified preseason game that mostly saw the Vikings run the ball with Mike Boone.
Samia is a large brawler type who made progress during last year’s training camp after a slow start. He spent the majority of camp on the third team and registered an underwhelming 62.0 grade from PFF in 193 preseason snaps.
His NFL draft profile noted some inconsistencies with technique. Lance Zierlein wrote:
“Samia is a loose-limbed, athletic guard whose foot quickness and second-level agility make him much more attractive as a move guard rather than a base-blocking option. His length and movement skills are a big plus, but issues with core strength and body control at the point of attack must be improved in order to survive against NFL power.”
That isn’t to say that Samia isn’t a candidate to compete for the left guard position — players regularly take big steps forward from Year 1 to Year 2 — but he shouldn’t be the defacto answer if the Vikings move on from Elflein.
Udoh showed pass blocking potential in the preseason and only allowed one pressure in Week 17. Last year the Vikings spent $2 million to keep swing tackle Rashod Hill but they might be so cash strapped that Udoh becomes the 2020 backup option and potentially a starter if he continues to develop. The Vikings saw him as a project with high upside coming out of the draft and have no reason to think otherwise after one year.
The future of the franchise
The Vikings offensive line took a step forward in 2019 and it showed in the improved run game. The offensive scheme helped to protect the weaknesses in pass protection for a portion of the season but Stefanski and Kubiak could only do so much when they were overwhelmed by teams like Green Bay and San Francisco. If there isn’t improvement in the overall talent level up front, 2020 is likely to offer more of the same.
No matter what the plan at quarterback is long term, having a top-notch offensive line is always a ticket to better offensive performance. The question is whether the Vikings took the right approach to building their line and if they would pivot to players who are better pass protectors.
I dont care what the scheme is... if they cant get a push in short yardage run situations they will suffer. they need to get stronger, and quicker in the middle of the OL.
There were limits to what the Vikings Oline could execute.
Consequently, playcalling was limited.
Dream: Samia takes over for Elflein (making him a sub at OG and Center)... and Otoh could take over at RT (and move O'Neill to LT). I guess I'd be happy if even ONE of those things happened.
@"pumpf" said: Dream: Samia takes over for Elflein (making him a sub at OG and Center)... and Otoh could take over at RT (and move O'Neill to LT). I guess I'd be happy if even ONE of those things happened.I love your optimism, and I havent given up on Collins, although his durability/health is starting to be a concern. however I think we need to try and add 2 starting pieces to the OL group 1 interior and 1 OT either through the draft or FA and if they miss in FA they really are putting themselves into a box when it comes to the draft.
Does the GM have two more big misses on the O-line with Elflein and Bradbury? I just can't envision the kind of protection Cousins needs with those two in the middle. Maybe Bradbury will get stronger, and improve. But I won't have much optomism if they are both starting in 2020.
@"pumpf" said: Dream: Samia takes over for Elflein (making him a sub at OG and Center)... and Otoh could take over at RT (and move O'Neill to LT). I guess I'd be happy if even ONE of those things happened.Exactly. I was thinking this same exact scenario. We need to roll with the talent on the roster with our cap situation. If Z is the CB whisperer, lets get Boyd and Hill in there, resign A Harris, sign the best FA 3tech, draft BPA ( just like the PATS always do) and lets go.
@"jargomcfargo" said: Does the GM have two more big misses on the O-line with Elflein and Bradbury? I just can't envision the kind of protection Cousins needs with those two in the middle. Maybe Bradbury will get stronger, and improve. But I won't have much optomism if they are both starting in 2020.I'm not sure that Bradbury can be written off as a "miss" after only 1 year. Elf, on the other hand, has gone straight downhill...
@"pumpf" said:I'm not writing him off, but the article said he was the worst pass blocker in the NFL.@"jargomcfargo" said: Does the GM have two more big misses on the O-line with Elflein and Bradbury? I just can't envision the kind of protection Cousins needs with those two in the middle. Maybe Bradbury will get stronger, and improve. But I won't have much optomism if they are both starting in 2020. I'm not sure that Bradbury can be written off as a "miss" after only 1 year. Elf, on the other hand, has gone straight downhill...
@"jargomcfargo" said:Bradbury's pass blocking grade was 41. He had 5 games near the beginning of the season where he scored in the single digits that dragged that grade down. There were 12 games, mostly later in the season, where that grade was significantly higher. So he improved as a pass blocker during the course of the season. He always graded out well as a run blocker.@"pumpf" said:I'm not writing him off, but the article said he was the worst pass blocker in the NFL.@"jargomcfargo" said: Does the GM have two more big misses on the O-line with Elflein and Bradbury? I just can't envision the kind of protection Cousins needs with those two in the middle. Maybe Bradbury will get stronger, and improve. But I won't have much optomism if they are both starting in 2020. I'm not sure that Bradbury can be written off as a "miss" after only 1 year. Elf, on the other hand, has gone straight downhill...Like most rookies, he's on track to improve significantly in his 2nd season. Even more so if we can put a league average left guard next to him. If it's not a restructured Reiff, a Kline-like free agent or a rookie, it'll be Samia.
Could you imagine if they signed Bulaga and he constantly gets called for holding. But seriously I really hope they get this figured out. Hopefully they are able to upgrade and maybe someone else on the squad can step up.
@"pumpf" said: Dream: Samia takes over for Elflein (making him a sub at OG and Center)... and Otoh could take over at RT (and move O'Neill to LT). I guess I'd be happy if even ONE of those things happened.I agree with you that the team will likely keep Elflein. HIs starting experience at both guard and center is too valuable, and cutting him doesn't save you any real money.
I think the team is high on both Samia and Udoh, but especially Udoh. But being from Elon, it would be great if we could give him another year. Makes me wonder if the Vikings might consider signing one of the bluehairs--Peters or maybe Whitworth--to a cheap, one-year stopgap contract to play left tackle to give Udoh, or a draft pick, another year.
Or maybe trade Reiff and a draft pick to Washington for Trent Williams, then draft a LG in the 1st round. Samia then gets another year behind Kline at RG, his more natural position. That's a pretty good line with a bright future.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"pumpf" said: Dream: Samia takes over for Elflein (making him a sub at OG and Center)... and Otoh could take over at RT (and move O'Neill to LT). I guess I'd be happy if even ONE of those things happened. I agree with you that the team will likely keep Elflein. HIs starting experience at both guard and center is too valuable, and cutting him doesn't save you any real money.I think the team is high on both Samia and Udoh, but especially Udoh. But being from Elon, it would be great if we could give him another year. Makes me wonder if the Vikings might consider signing one of the bluehairs--Peters or maybe Whitworth--to a cheap, one-year stopgap contract to play left tackle to give Udoh, or a draft pick, another year.
Or maybe trade Reiff and a draft pick to Washington for Trent Williams, then draft a LG in the 1st round. Samia then gets another year behind Kline at RG, his more natural position. That's a pretty good line with a bright future.
I've been banging the drum for Peter's. He just graded out Top 3 at LT and a good bit higher than Whitworth but he's also 38. Won't cost a lot to sign him and he definitely still wants to play. That allows you to Draft a LT early that can play LG for 1 year before sliding over. Which allows both Samia and Udoh to continue to develop. But it also gives Cousins a much more stable Line and a cleaner evaluation of whether he should be the long-term fit in Minnesota or not.
Going back to 2014, Peters has played full seasons in even numbered years, so maybe that continues. He only played six games last year, so that is a concern. His contract was only $6 million, so he probably won't break the bank. He played both tackle spots at Pittsburgh, so the transition might not be that difficult.
If somehow Conklin isn't tagged, I'd make a hard run at him. He's probably going to be in the $14 million dollar range, but he wouldn't be a one year loaner. This would require O'Neill to swing to the LT spot, but it could be that has been the long term plan. He did play both tackle spots at Pittsburgh. Maybe the transition would be seamless.
@"BarrNone55" said: Going back to 2014, Peters has played full seasons in even numbered years, so maybe that continues. He only played six games last year, so that is a concern. His contract was only $6 million, so he probably won't break the bank. He played both tackle spots at Pittsburgh, so the transition might not be that difficult.If somehow Conklin isn't tagged, I'd make a hard run at him. He's probably going to be in the $14 million dollar range, but he wouldn't be a one year loaner. This would require O'Neill to swing to the LT spot, but it could be that has been the long term plan. He did play both tackle spots at Pittsburgh. Maybe the transition would be seamless.
Hmmm, checked like 5 sites and Peters only missed 3 starts the whole season.
https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/jason-peters-wants-play-next-year-or-without-eagles
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