The Viking Age
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The battle to be the Vikings’ starting center will be a hot one this summer

By Dominique Clare

Nov 13, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive players line up against Washington Redskins defensive players in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive players line up against Washington Redskins defensive players in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Minnesota Vikings ‘offensive line is set up for a great offseason of competition to decide who starts this season, especially at center.

Last season Joe Berger held the responsibility of snapping the ball for the Minnesota Vikings. This upcoming season will likely have someone else taking that role since Berger is playing guard during mini camp.

That leaves two players that will compete for the starting center position.

The first player is Nick Easton, who is entering his second season with the Vikings. The 25-year-old from Harvard is currently taking the first-team reps. If the season were to start today, Easton would be the starting center.

Minnesota Vikings Nick Easton
Jan 1, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings center Nicholas Easton (62) blocks Chicago Bears defensive lineman C.J. Wilson (69) in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /

Easton gained experience last season because of injuries to the Vikings’ line. He appeared in 11 games and started in five of those. That experience gives him an advantage in the center battle because the other player vying for time this season is rookie Pat Elflein.

Elflein, on the other hand, has no NFL experience yet. That fact isn’t slowing him down from being mentioned as a contender to start at center. Elflein has been taking second-team reps and looks solid so far without pads on.

Minnesota Vikings Pat Elflein
December 31, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Carlos Watkins (94) against Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Pat Elflein (65) in the the 2016 CFP semifinal at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Coach Mike Zimmer has been sitting in on the offensive line meetings this offseason. This shows that he is committed to the success of this group. In addition it also shows that he really knows what is going on with this unit.

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On Thursday, Zimmer talked about Easton and Elflein battling at center.

"“They’re both doing good. Again, it’s going to come down to training camp and things like that. We may look at some other scenarios as well.”"

That comment is a positive sign because at this point he is pleased with both players. His comment about other scenarios likely indicated that they may consider playing Elflein at guard because he has the ability to play both positions like Joe Berger.

Next: Zimmer says the Vikings are in a good place

No one knows what the Vikings’ offensive line will look like when the season officially starts. In the meantime it will be fun to watch the position battles unfold.

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