Vikings had the least beefiest roster in the NFL last season
By Adam Patrick
It was recently revealed that the Minnesota Vikings had the skinniest roster in the NFL last season.
With Michael Pierce returning after opting out of last season and the signing of free-agent Dalvin Tomlinson, the Minnesota Vikings will have a pair of defensive tackles that weigh a combined 659 pounds starting for them in the upcoming 2021 campaign.
That’s going to be a lot of beef in the middle of the Vikings‘ defensive line next season. Something that was not the case for Minnesota in 2020.
In fact, the Vikings had the skinniest roster in the NFL last season according to an analysis that was recently shared by Football Outsiders.
Minnesota Vikings had the lightest roster in the NFL in 2020
During their history, Minnesota has certainly had its share of players who tipped the scales, including Jerry Ball, Pat Williams, Korey Stringer, and Bryant McKinnie. But last season, the Vikings were hoping that the athleticism of their offensive and defensive linemen would make up for their lack of weight.
Minnesota quickly learned that their plan wasn’t going to work as the offensive line was consistently overpowered and the defensive line struggled to break free from opposing blockers.
Well thanks to Football Outsiders, we now know that the Vikings’ roster tied for the lowest average BMI in the league last season along with the San Francisco 49ers. This analysis from Football Outsiders only counted the players on each roster who played at least one snap in 2020.
Of the guys who were on the field for at least one snap last season for Minnesota, they had an average weight of 244.4 pounds, which was the second-lightest in the NFL behind the 49ers.
It seems like the Vikings might have noticed their roster needed to pack on a few pounds too as they’ve added Tomlinson, Christian Darrisaw, and Wyatt Davis to their team during the last few months. Each of these players currently weighs at least 315 pounds.
Minnesota still has plenty of athleticism on their offensive and defensive lines. But heading into next season, they now at least have some guys who can stand their ground during all of the battles in the trenches.