Will Kirk Cousins be better or worse for the Vikings in 2019?

Improved offensive line

The Vikings addressed their biggest need in both free agency and at the NFL Draft this offseason by improving their offensive line.

Minnesota brought in free agent guard Josh Kline this year after he was released for having a sub-par 2018 season with the Tennessee Titans. While Kline struggled a year ago, he’ll be an improvement over Mike Remmers as the Vikings’ starting right guard.

Minnesota used their fourth-round pick at the 2019 NFL Draft to get some insurance if Kline struggles next season though. They took big, and I mean huge, Dru Samia from Oklahoma.

This kid has already impressed in Vikings rookie minicamp and he has a chance to beat out the veteran in camp. It really doesn’t matter which one wins the job as either will be a major upgrade over Remmers.

The biggest addition to the team and the one that will help Cousins the most in 2019 is Minnesota’s first-round pick from this year’s draft, center Garrett Bradbury.

Bradbury is a very athletic, and smart player. He’s a perfect fit for the blocking scheme that both Kevin Stefanski and Gary Kubiak want to utilize next season. His presence will also likely move Pat Elfein to his more natural spot at left guard, thus improving two spots at once.

With these new additions to their offensive line, Cousins should have a lot more time to scan the field. He should be under much less duress and he can actually wait for routes to develop.

Hopefully, Cousins takes fewer hits and he doesn’t get rid of the ball too quickly due to him being constantly pounded by defensive lineman nearly every single snap like in 2018.