5 bold free agency predictions for the 2020 Vikings
By Chris Schad
Minnesota will try to beef up the offensive line
Another reason for letting Anthony Harris and Trae Waynes walk this offseason is the current state of the Vikings roster.
On defense, they have a head coach in Mike Zimmer who can probably coach younger players up and make them viable alternatives. On offense, Minnesota does not have that luxury as Kirk Cousins needs just about everything around him to be on schedule.
Last season, the Vikings were derailed when teams like Green Bay, Chicago, and San Francisco were able to get the best of Minnesota’s offensive line. This was especially true in the middle of the unit as Josh Kline was fine, but Garrett Bradbury had his ups-and-downs and Pat Elflein had issues at left guard.
Even though Zimmer talked up rookie Dru Samia in his end of the year press conference, the Vikings would be smart to use whatever funds they have this offseason to beef up their offensive line.
The dream target would be Joe Thuney, who showed his athleticism on the New England Patriots offensive line and he would be an excellent fit in Minnesota’s zone-blocking scheme. Although Brandon Scherff was taken off the market with a franchise tag, other names such as Graham Glasgow or Stefen Wisniewski would make sense.
If the Vikings are going to lose as much as they’re projected to on the defensive side of the ball this year, they have to make up for it by doing what they can to improve offensively.