Vikings acquire veteran offensive lineman in trade with Giants

The Minnesota Vikings added offensive lineman Brett Jones on Sunday after making a trade with the New York Giants.

Before this year’s training camp even began for the Minnesota Vikings, the team’s offensive line was one of their top concerns heading into the 2018 season.

Three weeks into the preseason and those concerns seem to only be increasing as the Vikings inch closer to playing a meaningful game.

Minnesota has already lost starting left guard Nick Easton for the entire 2018 season, center Pat Elflein is still on the PUP list, right guard Mike Remmers is dealing with an ankle injury, and right tackle Rashod Hill is also banged up.

Not exactly what a team with Super Bowl aspirations like the Vikings wants to be worrying about as they head into the regular season.

With Elflein’s status for Minnesota’s Week 1 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers still up in the air, the Vikings have made a roster move to improve the current depth of their offensive line.

Minnesota acquired veteran offensive lineman Brett Jones on Sunday in a trade with the New York Giants. In exchange for Jones, the Vikings reportedly sent the Giants a 2019 seventh-round draft pick.

Jones started 13 games for New York last season as both a center and a left guard. Pro Football Focus rated him as the second-best pass-blocking center in the NFL last season as he only gave up a total of 10 pressures.

For now, it appears that Jones’ time in Minnesota will likely be temporary as the offensive lineman’s current contract has him scheduled to be a free-agent in 2019. But if the Vikings like what they see from him this season, they might be interested in re-signing him next year.

If anything, the trade certainly doesn’t appear to be a good sign for Elflein’s chance to suit up against the 49ers in Week 1. Adding Jones could just be Minnesota improving the depth of their offensive line, but one would assume it most likely has to do with Elflein’s current health status.