Early injuries and the passing of Tony Sparano have made it a rough week for the offensive line of the Minnesota Vikings.
Looking around the landscape of the Minnesota Vikings, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the 2018 season.
The Vikings just locked up star receiver Stefon Diggs to a lucrative extension and Dalvin Cook appears to be all the way back from his torn ACL last October. New Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins has looked solid in passing drills and the defensive line looks like they could cause some real havoc for whomever stands in their way.
Even the younger players are stepping up as both Mike Hughes and Holton Hill have been impressive during the first week of camp.
Everything appears to be rolling sevens so far, but the one weak spot of the team that continues to be a concern for the Vikings is their offensive line.
Heading into the 2018 offseason, the top line of defense for Cousins, Cook, and company was a key point for improvement. To respond, Minnesota signed Tom Compton and drafted Brian O’Neil and Colby Gossett this year (neither of whom are expected to contribute this season).
With Jeremiah Sirles now with the Carolina Panthers, the offensive line already looked a little shaky coming into training camp. But then they got another jolt when they lost their leading voice.
The death of Tony Sparano was a shocker to everyone and the Vikings, no matter which position, admitted to having heavy hearts when they arrived at camp last week.
Unfortunately, finding Sparano’s replacement had to be done quickly after his passing. Minnesota eventually decided to promote Clancy Barone and Andrew Janacko to be the team’s co-offensive line coaches.
While it’s not like either is unqualified for the job (Barone was the offensive line coach for the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in 2015), changing the tone in the position room isn’t a recipe for success days before the start of camp.
The unexpected turmoil gave way to another uncontrollable menace as injuries popped up a day later. Center Pat Elflein admitted to having shoulder surgery in addition to his ankle surgery this past February and started camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.
Minnesota Vikings
In addition, Rashod Hill also bowed out with an illness that has lingered in the first week of camp and Mike Remmers left Tuesday’s practice after suffering a leg injury (he was later seen in a walking boot).
With many moving parts along the line and a new quarterback under center, all of these missed reps could turn out to lead to a slow start.
If there is any good news about all of this, it could be that the Vikings are still just one week into training camp.
A year ago, Minnesota left tackle Riley Reiff missed a significant portion of camp with a knee injury, but went on to have a relatively healthy season. The same thing could happen for 2018 if Hill’s illness subsides while Remmers and Elflein simply ease their way back into the lineup.
For now, this should be a reminder that no matter how many good vibes the Vikings have around them, the performance and health of the offensive line could dictate where this season ends up.