5 free-agent offensive tackles the Vikings could sign in 2019
By Chris Schad
Jermon Bushrod
2018 Stats:
- 62.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus
- 78.3 pass blocking grade
- 46.1 run blocking grade
- 11 pressures allowed
If the Vikings are serious about kicking Reiff over to left guard, they’re going to need a tackle. With holes elsewhere on the roster, finding a left tackle could be tricky in a league that has become an arms race to acquire good offensive linemen, meaning they could opt for a stop gap like Bushrod.
The 34-year-old suffered the Mike Remmers experience in Miami when the Dolphins tried to kick him inside to guard and it didn’t work out. After being cut by the Dolphins in Week 1, Bushrod returned to the Saints and wound up starting from Week 11 to Week 15 and he looked especially good in pass protection.
Relying on Bushrod to survive a full season at left tackle may not be a smart gamble though. He’s coming off thumb surgery this offseason and with his advanced age, he’s not a long-term answer to the Vikings’ woes up front. That being said, Minnesota could do much worse.
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(For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe to PFF’s EDGE or ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.)