4 biggest disappointments from the Vikings 2020 training camp

Samia not emerging as a starter

All offseason, there was talk about Dru Samia emerging as a contender for one of the Vikings’ two starting guard spots this year. At this point in training camp, however, it doesn’t seem like Minnesota is looking to make Samia a starter anytime soon.

Following the release of Josh Kline earlier this offseason, most assumed Samia was going to be among those battling to fill the void as the Vikings’ starting right guard.

But instead of giving the second-year offensive lineman a shot at Kline’s old spot, Minnesota just moved Pat Elflein over to the right side of the line after an underwhelming 2019 campaign as the team’s starting left guard.

Based on the Vikings’ decision making this summer, it seems like there might have just been a little too much hype around Samia. While he still has a chance to emerge as a starter for Minnesota one day, it doesn’t appear as though that will be happening during the upcoming season.

We like to think the Vikings coaches know what they’re doing, so if they don’t think Samia is ready to start this year, then he’s probably not ready to start. But it’s hard to imagine Elflein is that much better of a choice at right guard after the awful performance he had in 2019.