T.J. Clemmings to start at LT for Vikings after Kalil injury
By Josh Zinger
After Matt Kalil’s season-ending hip injury, the Minnesota Vikings are expected to turn to second-year swing tackle T.J. Clemmings to start at left tackle.
Once again, the Minnesota Vikings find themselves in the unfortunate position of having to start T.J. Clemmings. With the shocking news of Matt Kalil being placed on injured reserve, T.J. Clemmings is once again being thrust into a starting role.
Drafted in the fourth round last year as a raw, developmental prospect, Clemmings was forced into action as a rookie due to right tackle Phil Loadholt’s preseason Achilles injury.
The Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson confirmed Clemmings’ new role on Twitter:
TJ Clemmings takes over a left tackle
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 21, 2016
Clemmings struggled mightily, finishing the year as Pro Football Focus‘s 67th ranked offensive tackle, worse than some teams’ backups. Clemmings looked lost for much of the year, being slow off the line, failing to get a good punch on defensive ends, and allowing rushers to exploit his poor footwork with basic counter moves. As a rookie who was never expected to start, Clemmings proved that he simply wasn’t ready to play in the NFL.
This year, Clemmings has a full year of experience and an offseason of development under his belt, yet he might be in an even worse position to succeed. Clemmings is now starting at left tackle, a position he just started learning during training camp this year.
Clemmings’ lack of experience has been well documented, as he started his college career at defensive end and only played offensive tackle for about two years before entering the NFL. Now, not only does he have to continue learning the intricacies of offensive tackle play in general, he has to re-apply everything he has learned so far to the opposite side of the line, reversing his footwork and technique.
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The silver lining of this situation is that Clemmings is still developing, and he may improve as the season goes along. Still, the left tackle position, which has already been a liability for the Vikings this season, just got worse.