The Viking Age
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Minnesota Vikings: Early two deep 2016 depth chart

By Adam Carlson

Aug 9, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings helmet on the field during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 9, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings helmet on the field during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 7, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tackle Mike Harris (79) and guard Joe Berger (61) and center John Sullivan (65) and guard Vladimir Ducasse (62) prepare to block against the New York Jets in the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tackle Mike Harris (79) and guard Joe Berger (61) and center John Sullivan (65) and guard Vladimir Ducasse (62) prepare to block against the New York Jets in the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /

Offensive Line

Decimated by injuries, the offensive line found themselves with a three positions having new starters. The big injuries could still be a factor, but the Minnesota Vikings went into free agency and got some insurance policies.

Left Tackle

  1. Matt Kalil
  2. T.J. Clemmings

Playing on a massive fifth-year contract option, Kalil has one more chance he can be the players the team wants him to be. As a backup, Clemmings moves from starting right tackle to backup left tackle in hopes that he can continue to develop under Kalil.

Right Tackle

  1. Phil Loadholt
  2. Andre Smith

Loadholt’s Achilles tendon injury is hard to gauge at this point. Because of that, Minnesota went out and got former Bengals blocker Andre Smith. Right now, it’s hard to tell who will win the starting gig until it is seen how big Phil recovered, but for now he should be penciled in as the starter.

Left Guard

  1. Alex Boone
  2. Willie Beavers

Minnesota should find Boone to be a significant improvement over Brandon Fusco after a failed position change saw the left guard to be a liability. Odds are that Berger will be plugged in at guard before Beavers, but last year’s starting center could find himself in the same role again.

Right Guard

  1. Brandon Fusco
  2. Mike Harris

Moving back to right guard should do wonders for Fusco. Plus, having last year’s starting right guard as a backup to Fusco isn’t too shabby either. Harris was very impressive at times last year and should solidify this position during the 2016 season.

Centers

  1. John Sullivan
  2. Joe Berger

If Sullivan’s back is healed, he should be the starter. However, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about that since he had other issues and required a second procedure. But if he cant go this year, Berger proved to be an excellent starter last year, earning praise from analytics groups like Pro Football Focus.

Next: Defensive Line

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