4 things we learned about the Vikings this offseason

Addition by subtraction at right guard, evidently

Former Vikings right guard Josh Kline was not as skilled as Randall McDaniel or Steve Hutchinson (few are). But Kline was a fairly commendable member of Minnesota’s 2019 offensive line.

Kline either has not-loudly-proclaimed health issues or the Vikings front office simply did not see much value in him. The team released him in March with no clear-cut replacement to start at right guard in 2020.

That’s not to say Minnesota doesn’t have eager men ready to audition for the job. Unless they have wild plans for realignment that entails switching players from their natural position, Dakota Dozier or Dru Samia will likely be the team’s starting right guard in 2020.

In this, we learn the Vikings feel some degree of assurance that one of the men on their current roster is up for the task to win the job.

No free agents were signed to compete for this position, and one late-round pick was utilized on a guard. That man is a 22-year-old former Washburn Ichabod (college in Kansas) and his name is Kyle Hinton. Stranger things have occurred, but it is unlikely Hinton will be the Week 1 starter at right guard for Minnesota this year.

The aforementioned Dozier is 29-years-old and he spent most of his career with New York Jets before signing with the Vikings in 2019. The consensus is that he will battle for the right guard job during the team’s upcoming training camp. But if he has not been a habitual starter to date, it’s safe to assume he will be the underdog in the competition.

That leaves us with a probable starter in Samia. He is said to be an ogre-like menace full of bad-mannered gruff. Minnesota is evidently content with unleashing that nastiness onto the field because Samia feels like their presumable starting right guard this year.

The Vikings, to date, have not had widely-known discussions with free agent Larry Warford. The former New Orleans Saints offensive lineman would be one of the most sturdy options for the open right guard position as he has stuffed the Pro Bowl ballot box during each of the last three seasons.

But for now, Minnesota appears to be green-lighting The Samia Trials.