Minnesota Vikings
The 2022 Minnesota Vikings will find improvement on the team’s weak spot on the offensive line, as evidenced by the offseason run litani led by new general manager QC Adopho-Mensah.
In particular, proper guard and center spots are a matter of impending concern. The Vikings have thrown more solution-based darts across the board in the last few months than at any other time in recent history.
Yet, the court of public opinion is not sure that Minnesota’s offensive trenches have been fixed, at least compared to other offensive line leagues.
FTNFantasy.com The team recently released its annual Power Ranking for the offensive line and the Vikings checked in at a familiar spot – behind the pack. Dan Fornek From FTN Fantasy Ranked Minnesota as the league’s ninth-worst offensive lineExplains, “Minnesota has a young offensive line that needs to take a step back to give them a chance to play off in a weak NFC.”
This offseason, Adopho-Mensah drafted Ed Ingram in the 2nd round, caliber guard starting from LSU. And before that, he signed Jesse Davis from the Miami Dolphins and Chris Reed from the Indianapolis Colts. Both have experience as starters – especially Davis – so measures are being taken to remedy the Vikings’ trenches.
In particular, Minnesota pass protection has been problematic for nearly a decade – since the departures of Steven Hutchinson and Bryant McKinney. Pass-blocking from the Vikings offensive line in the last eight years follows, according to Pro Football Focus:
- 2014 = 23rd
- 2015 = 28th
- 2016 = 30th
- 2017 = 17th
- 2018 = 27th
- 2019 = 27th
- 2020 = 29th
- 2021 = 27th
And such irresistible rankings have led pundits like Fornek to declare that the Vikings need to “get strong growth across the board to enter the middle line of the offensive line this season.”
The difference between the present plan and the past plan is the planners And just the number of companies auditioning for a resolution. Prior to 2022, the fix usually acquired a reserve player such as Dakota Dozier or Mason Cole, crossing fingers in the hope that such players would swell with the purple team.
That doesn’t usually work out.
Thanks to the Vikings, run-blocking has never been a problem with Mike Zimmer’s coaching staff, so the group is not completely lost.
Yet, until the Vikings start giving offensive line pocket passer Kirk cousins some time to throw the ball, the predictable consensus will emerge from years of futility in the trenches.
Perhaps this is another reason why Vikings have replaced ownership of Zimmer with criminal-minded thinkers – to fix the offensive line once and for all.
The Philadelphia Eagles are ranked as the top offensive line in the league FTN Fantasy. The Chicago Bears were named the worst in the NFL.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to her daily YouTube channel, VikesNow. She Hosts a podcast With Bryant McKinney, which airs every Wednesday Raun Sai And Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking Fandom dates back to 1996. Listed Criminal Pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos’ and The Doors (Band).
