As a franchise, the Minnesota Vikings have had a lot of things over the years including arguably the best defensive line ever assembled and also a string of unbelievably bad head coaches. The Vikings have also been lucky to draft some of the best offensive weapons the league has ever seen in Randy Moss, Adrian Peterson, and now Justin Jefferson. Yet, the Vikings have never managed to establish themselves as a true offensive powerhouse in the league. Why? The answer has been apparent to Vikings fans for decades. The offensive line has just not been able to get the job done.
It seems like every year the Vikings find a way to add the new worst lineman in the league to their starting lineup, cough* cough* Dru Samia cough*. If the Viking’s offense is ever going to take the next step to being a true Super Bowl contender, they need to put together a competent offensive line.
Luckily for Vikings fans, 2023 may be the year that they finally assemble the offensive line that their playmakers deserve. Barring an unexpected change during training camp the Viking’s offensive line in week one should look like this:
Left Tackle: Christian Darrisaw
Left Guard: Ezra Cleveland
Center: Garrett Bradbury
Right Guard: Ed Ingram
Right Tackle: Brian O’Neill
The line has two great veteran leaders in Brian O’Neill and Garrett Bradbury. It also appears that 2021 first-round pick Christian Darrisaw is really starting to come into his own posting a 90.3 PFF rating last season making him one of the best young tackles in the league. The one obvious weak spot is second-year guard Ed Ingram who is looking to improve after an underwhelming rookie season. However, if the Viking’s biggest problem is starting a young developing player at guard, that is a far better situation than they have had in the past few seasons. It’s not perfect, but it’s likely the best offensive line the Vikings have had in a long time.
photo: “Washington Commanders vs. Minnesota Vikings” by All-Pro Reels is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.