Vikings starting offensive line beginning to take shape

We should know who will be blocking for the Minnesota Vikings this season very soon.

For the majority of the last decade, the biggest weakness of the Minnesota Vikings has arguably been their offensive line.

No matter how many resources the Vikings pour into improving the offensive line, the unit almost always seems to be a big letdown each season. With most of their starters from an underwhelming 2019 offensive line returning this year, things likely aren’t going to be much different in front of Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins this season.

With that being said, Minnesota is already beginning to get a good idea about what their starting offensive line will look like for the upcoming season after completing a handful of padded practices during this summer’s training camp.

Which Minnesota Vikings offensive linemen will be starters in 2020?

Following Thursday’s practice, it appears as though Dakota Dozier is emerging as the leading candidate to be the starting left guard for the Vikings this year. With Dozier inching closer to snagging a starting spot, Minnesota could open up the season against the Green Bay Packers with an offensive line that looks something like the following.

• LT – Riley Reiff
• LG – Dakota Dozier
• C – Garrett Bradbury
• RG – Pat Elflein
• RT – Brian O’Neill

Notice how all five projected starters are guys with at least one year of experience on Minnesota’s roster? With the COVID-19 pandemic having a tremendous impact on the Vikings’ offseason, it seems like they are going to roll with the guys who are already familiar with the offense and let rookies like Ezra Cleveland take their time in adjusting to the pro level.

Most will probably look at Minnesota’s projected starting offensive line for this year and find it difficult to get excited about the unit. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to dispute this lack of excitement surrounding the guys who are expected to be the team’s starting blockers in Week 1.

Would things look different if not for the COVID-19 pandemic? There’s a chance, but the Vikings are also a team that has become known for bringing their rookies along slowly since Mike Zimmer was hired to be the team’s head coach in 2014.

Continuity is believed to be an important trait of a good offensive line in the NFL. Will this be true for a Minnesota unit that is looking like it will have four of the starting blockers from 2019 keeping their roles at the top of the depth chart for the upcoming season?