Andre Smith Jr. is in a similar boat as Phil Loadholt. Both players are battling for the right tackle spot, both players were drafted in 2009, and both players were voted 1st-team All NFL by Pro Football Focus (Smith in 2012, Loadholt in 2013).
More from The Viking Age
- 6 biggest draft steals in Minnesota Vikings history
- Former Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC North
- Bears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take
- 6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023
- Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022
Unlike Loadholt, however, Smith was brought in as a free agent.
On one hand, that could be a positive, as Smith was basically hand-picked by head coach Mike Zimmer. On the other hand, Loadholt is one of the longest tenured Vikings and is well-respected in the locker room.
Smith is a former top-10 draft pick, but he is even more injury prone than Loadholt. Smith has only started 16 games once during his seven-year career and 82 games overall, while Loadholt has played in 89 games (even after missing all of 2015 with his Achilles injury).
Next: Vikings game-by-game 2016 season preview
Smith signed a one-year $3.5 million contract this past offseason. If the Vikings were to trade him, they would save $3 million, since Smith’s contract only has $500,000 in guaranteed money.
What do you think? Are there any players I missed on offense who could be traded this season?