Minnesota Vikings: 8 Bold Predictions for the 2020 Season
By Chris Schad
The Vikings will be a revolving door at guard (again)
While it seems like the Vikings can find a way to upgrade every position on the roster, they haven’t figured out that improving guard might be a good idea. The team has dumped several draft picks into the position over the past decade, but it’s arguable that they haven’t found a sustainable solution since Steve Hutchinson left after the 2011 season.
This season is no different as the Vikings started camp with a battle royal at guard and basically came out worse for wear. Starting right guard Josh Kline was cut and the Vikings will hope that Pat Elflein will finally get things straightened out in his third position in the past three seasons.
On the left side, things don’t look better as Dakota Dozier will at least start the year at left guard. Dozier is a quality depth piece for the Vikings, but the more he played, the worse things got. To rely on him as an everyday starter shows how badly the Vikings have failed to provide depth.
Speaking of which, things could get worse if the Vikings run into injury or (more likely) poor performance. Dru Samia‘s breakout never materialized in camp and Oli Udoh seems like he’s more of a tackle than a guard at this point. Even an experiment with second-round pick Ezra Cleveland didn’t provide positive results, leaving the Vikings in a bind.
Over the past couple of years, Kirk Cousins has struggled with pressure up the middle. If center Garrett Bradbury didn’t get stronger during the offseason, it could be a bumpy ride for the Vikings offense in 2020.