6 free-agent interior offensive linemen the Vikings could sign in 2020
By Chris Schad
Brandon Scherff
The Vikings likely won’t be a team shelling out big money on the free-agent market this year even if their salary cap guru, Rob Brzezinski, uses his magic powers to kick any impact down the road. However, don’t completely rule it out, especially when it could come at a slight discount in the form of Brandon Scherff.
Scherff has been a key component of the Washington Redskins offensive line since being selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. But he could be on the way out thanks to a regime change with Ron Rivera taking over for Jay Gruden as the Redskins’ head coach.
When healthy, Scherff has been a monster in the trenches thanks to his athleticism. According to his profile on MockDraftable, he posted a 98th percentile time in the 3-cone drill with 7.18 seconds and he also tested well in the 20-yard shuffle, where he posted in the 83rd percentile of the 2015 draft class.
Because of his abilities, Scherff has graded out as a top offensive guard when healthy. Unfortunately, “when healthy” has been the caveat as he’s missed time due to injury in each of the past three seasons.
For a cap-strapped team such as Minnesota, this can be a good thing. If they feel like taking a flier on the 28-year-old, he might come at a discounted rate and he will have considerable upside as an elite pass blocker.
Scherff would be a massive upgrade over Pat Elflein, even if it involves moving Josh Kline over to left guard. Funds will be tight, but the Vikings could spend their money in worse ways.