How the Vikings can fix their offensive line using the current roster

Improving at Right Tackle

If Brian O’Neill ends up staying at right tackle next season, then this conversation is over. If he moves to the left side like suggested above, that creates a whole new dilemma on the right side of the Vikings offensive line.

The best thing Minnesota could do would be to have an open competition using what they have on the roster and let the best man win.

The guys competing for that job would be Oli Udoh, Aviante Collins, and perhaps Riley Reiff if the Vikings keep him on the roster at a reduced cost. Rashod Hill is a free agent who could also be brought back.

Hill has played well in spurts for Minnesota. It seems like he does his best when he comes in off the bench during a game. In these cases, he holds his own and the drop off in play is hardly evident.

For whatever reason though, when he gets a start he tends to struggle. Hill has the talent to be a starting NFL tackle, he just needs to be more consistent.

Udoh was a sixth-round pick of the Vikings last year. He was taken as a project and he was mostly inactive in 2019 until the last game of the season. In that matchup against the Bears, Udoh got an extended look.

He played with great aggression and tenacity and the line as a whole played very well. If Udoh takes another step forward next year, he’ll at least be active every game and he could even see a handful of snaps.

Collins should also get a look. He has had some nice moments in the preseason, but he seems to be injury-prone. Reiff is also still a possibility on the right side. He played it in Detroit with the Lions and if he came back at a reduced cost, Minnesota moving him to the right could be the best option for the line, as he still has plenty of talent.

If the Vikings did move O’Neill to left tackle and leave the right side an open competition between these players, this would be the weakest position on the revamped line. However, the winner, whether its a restructured Reiff, Collins, or Udoh, would at least be a serviceable starter and not a major liability.