After releasing Riley Reiff, the Minnesota Vikings have a hole to fill at left tackle.
During the 2020 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings employed one of the worst pass-blocking offensive lines in the league. Their brightest spots belonged to their offensive tackles, Riley Reiff and Brian O’Neill, who outperformed all other linemen when it came to protecting Kirk Cousins from opposing pass rushers.
In somewhat of a surprising move, however, the Vikings announced the release of Reiff on Wednesday. Although the move creates more than $11 million in cap space, it takes away one of the few solid pieces from the offensive line.
Now, the Vikings will need to find a way to replace Reiff’s high level of play. There are a few ways the franchise can go about this, but each has its own pros and cons that could impact the Minnesota offense going forward.
Let’s take a look at six players who might be given the daunting task of holding down the ship at left tackle for the Vikings in an attempt to fill the gap left by the release of Reiff.
Ezra Cleveland
One of the early favorites to replace Riley Reiff for next season would have to be Ezra Cleveland. Since he was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, expectations are high for the young Vikings offensive lineman to step in and contribute.
Sadly, Cleveland has yet to show that he is ready to move to the blindside. Last season, Cleveland filled in at right guard after inept play from his teammates, and the 22-year-old blocker failed to impress in that role.
There is hope that Cleveland will perform much better when placed at left tackle, but that is a big roll of the dice for a team like Minnesota that already has existing question marks at other positions on the offensive line.
If Cleveland can be the answer, the Vikings will save quite a bit of money by having their staring left tackle on a rookie contract. This would allow them to dip into free agency to address another need while he and Brian O’Neill become the bookends on the offensive line.
Brian O’Neill
What can the Vikings do if Ezra Cleveland isn’t ready to fill in at left tackle next season? Well, they can move their best offensive lineman from last year to that spot and possibly have Cleveland take over at right tackle.
Ever since arriving in Minnesota, Brian O’Neill has proven himself to be a quality offensive lineman. Forced into the lineup due to injuries as a rookie in 2018, the former University of Pittsburgh standout has assumed the role of the team’s right tackle, and he hasn’t done anything to make the team lose faith in him.
Moving O’Neill to left tackle would be a bit of a change for him, but not one that would be as abrupt of a change as putting Cleveland there for the 2021 season. However, it would still be putting both players in new spots for the upcoming year and forcing a new combination of linemen to mesh.
Like Cleveland’s situation, having a player already on the Vikings roster be the team’s new left tackle would be the best possible situation. As long as O’Neill or Cleveland are ready or capable of the move, it opens up some possibilities for Minnesota to maneuver at other positions thanks to the salary cap.
Christian Darrisaw (Virginia Tech)
If the Vikings aren’t confident that their new starting left tackle isn’t currently on the roster, they may look to the 2021 NFL Draft to secure a young, talented blocker to take on the role going forward.
There are several amazing options for a left tackle at the top of the draft, starting with Oregon’s Penei Sewell, but he is likely to be a top-five pick. Past him, one of the best options is former Virginia Tech blocker Christian Darrisaw.
After three seasons with the Hokies, the 6-foot-5, 314-pound blocker is ready to join the NFL and looks to be a Day 1 starter. He seemed to improve with each passing year at the college level and there is little reason to believe that won’t translate well to the NFL.
For those who put a lot of stock into Pro Football Focus metrics, it is hard to ask for much better than what they have to say about Darrisaw since he graded out at 95.6 overall in 2020 with both his pass and run block grades over 90.
Rashawn Slater (Northwestern)
After the Pro Day that Rashawn Slater recently turned in at Northwestern, the buzz around him has gotten extremely loud. The hype is warranted though since he tested through the roof in terms of his power and eye-opening athleticism.
Showing off while wearing shorts at a Pro Day is one thing, but producing on the field is another. Slater is probably best known for when he went head-to-head with the 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Chase Young, when Northwestern faced off against Ohio State in 2019 and the talented offensive tackle got the better of the high-profile pass rusher.
Like Darrisaw, Slater should be ready to step and be a starter right away for Minnesota if he is the team’s selection at 14th overall during the 2021 NFL Draft. Adding him to the roster would let Brian O’Neill remain the Vikings’ starting right tackle and allow Ezra Cleveland to be a swing tackle or continue as the team’s starting right guard.
At 6-foot-4 and 314 pounds, he would fit into an NFL offensive line pretty easily, and he would provide an inexpensive option at the position since he would be on his rookie contract. If Minnesota does go this route, it would be nice to see Slater be a long-term answer at left tackle.
Jason Peters
The third way the Vikings could look for an answer to their hole at left tackle would be to dive into free agency and sign someone to do the job cheaper or better than Riley Reiff had been doing. Either way, they will need to spend the money they saved on cutting Reiff if the team goes this route.
Free agency’s top options are Trent Williams, Alejandro Villanueva, and Russell Okung, but all of those will likely be too expensive to be realistic options for Minnesota. The next name on that list is former Philadelphia Eagles left tackle, Jason Peters.
Peters wouldn’t be a long-term answer at left tackle. At 39-years-old, it is a bit surprising that he is returning for his 18th season in 2021. But having a blocker to fill in for even one season could be huge for the Vikings.
Bringing in Peters on a cheap deal would allow them to give Ezra Cleveland more time to develop and prepare for a future at left tackle. Plus, having a veteran presence on the line and in the locker room could do wonders for the young players.
While not an ideal situation, it could be a temporary bandage to apply until a better option is available.
Kelvin Beachum
Coming off a one-year prove-it deal with the Arizona Cardinals, Kelvin Beachum started all 16 games at offensive tackle, and he could be an underrated blocker who slips through the cracks in free agency that Minnesota can sign for an affordable price.
Beachum’s one-year deal worth a little under $1.2 million last season isn’t an accurate gauge of his value. He will likely command around triple that value in the free-agent market depending on how much teams value his worth compared to the crop of draft picks and undrafted free agents coming into the league this year.
Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 308 pounds, Beachum looks more like an interior lineman than an offensive tackle. But his performance with Arizona proves that he can get the job done as a blindside blocker when asked to do so.
If nothing, bringing Beachum to Minnesota would provide more depth and competition for a team that struggled with injuries in 2020. Having some security at left tackle would give the team peace of mind as they hope to make a push to the playoffs in 2021.
6 QBs that only lasted one season with the Minnesota Vikings
These six quarterbacks all started at least one game for the Minnesota Vikings but only lasted one season in purple and gold.
Which option do you think the Vikings will take to replace Riley Reiff at left tackle? And what decision should the team make?