Top 5 takeaways from the Minnesota Vikings’ offseason so far
By Chris Schad
The offensive line should be improved in 2019
Last year, the Vikings’ offensive line never had the chance to get their footing as they were rocked by the sudden death of Tony Sparano and a season-ending neck injury to Nick Easton.
Making matters worse, Minnesota didn’t have players that were in a position to succeed with several of them playing out of position and others playing at a replacement level.
The Vikings’ initial effort to upgrade the offensive line didn’t look good when they whiffed on several prized free agents and settled by adding Tennessee Titans castoff Josh Kline. But they were able to make up for that with a solid draft class.
By taking North Carolina State center Garrett Bradbury with the 18th overall pick and Oklahoma guard Dru Samia in the fourth round, Minnesota added two players that should be able to provide an upgrade in short order. They also happen to be perfect fits in the new zone blocking scheme that Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski and offensive advisor Gary Kubiak wish to install in the coming weeks.
Mixing in project tackle Oli Udoh, who was selected in the sixth round, Minnesota’s offensive line should be much better than it was a year ago. If that’s the case, Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, and the rest of the Vikings’ offense should be able to find more success in 2019.