The Minnesota Vikings suffered another loss to the offensive line grouping for the 2018 NFL season and have signed a player to replace the injured blocker.
When it comes to the offensive line, the Minnesota Vikings don’t seem to have a lot of luck the past few years. Those struggles are continuing during the 2018 NFL season as several linemen are already dealing with injuries.
Nick Easton missing the season with a neck injury and Pat Elflein needing time to recover were issues only amplified by the retirement of Joe Berger. However, now the depth on the Vikings line took another hit according to the official website of the Vikings.
Minnesota Vikings
Offensive tackle Aviante Collins has been placed on the team’s injured reserve and will miss the entire season because of a bicep injury, as the Pioneer Press revealed. According to the piece, the injury was sustained at practice on Thursday and is reporting he will undergo surgery soon.
With an open spot on the roster after Collins being moved to IR, the Vikings announced the signing of offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann to the 53 man roster.
Witzmann is a native of Somerset, Wisconsin who played his college football at South Dakota State. He was an undrafted free agent who signed with the Houston Texans and spent time with the New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, and Kansas City Chiefs before landing with the Vikings.
The 6-foot-7, 320-pound guard played in all 16 games for the Chiefs last season, starting 13 of those. However, he was part of the final cuts for Kansas City on Sept. 10, making him available for Minnesota to fill their needs on the offensive line.
We at The Viking Age would like to wish a full and speedy recovery to Aviante Collins as well as welcome Bryan Witzmann to the Minnesota Vikings!