This week, we talked a lot about whether or not the Vikings would make a trade, specifically targeting more offensive line help. I talked to Toups on his radio show “The Scoop” on KLGR out of Alexandria, about that exact topic on Thursday. Those “in the know” saw a trade as being not just being possible before the regular season, but likely. And sure enough, as everyone gets home from stuffing their faces at the Minnesota State Fair on this beautiful Sunday evening, they will be arriving to trade news we were expecting:

? TRADE ?

The #Vikings have acquired C Brett Jones (@brettjones69) from the New York Giants for an undisclosed pick.

The completion of the trade is pending Jones passing a physical. pic.twitter.com/EzQLkT9X2x

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 26, 2018

The Vikings only had to give up a 7th rounder to get him. According to Giants’ sources, he was battling for a starting spot so that price tag is something to take note of.

What does this trade mean for the Vikings? Well, there’s some good and some bad running through my head. First, Elflein isn’t practicing this week so he is getting pretty far away from being the starting center come game 1. On the bright side of that situation, Zimmer said he doesn’t expect Elflein to start the season on the PUP List, which means they expect him to be contributing early enough. If you start the regular season on the PUP, you can’t get off until 6 weeks later.

Once Elflein does come back, it seems unclear as to where exactly Jones will fit in. But, let’s be real… the Vikings need all of the help they can get on the O-line, even when they have everyone healthy. Jones has some versatility. He has started a couple of games at left guard through his career one game last year at left guard. I’d expect him to start at center as long as everything goes according to plan once he is in town, until Elflein returns. After that, your guess is as good as mine.

Here are a few things I’ve found early on Mr. Jones.

– He played in Canada in 2013 and 2014, winning all sorts of honors, including an all-star team and the best offensive lineman in the CFL in 2014.

– He started 13 games last year for the Giants

– He’s only 27 years old and from Canada.

Here are some other details and video from Nick Olson on Twitter. He’s a great follow for those who don’t already:

Brett Jones was Pro Football Focus’ 17th-ranked center in 2017. He ranked 5th in pass protection among starting centers but 21st in run blocking. He ranked 4th in pass blocking efficiency and third in pressures allowed among starting centers.

— Nick Olson (@NicholasJOlson) August 26, 2018

Here’s a quick thread on the #Vikings newest offensive lineman, Brett Jones.

The first thing that pops off Jones’ tape is his power. Here he is one-on-one against Aaron Donald’s bull rush, and Jones holds up pretty well against the DPOY. pic.twitter.com/dcYlxl8aU4

— Nick Olson (@NicholasJOlson) August 26, 2018

Well, the worst-case scenario for Nick Easton and the rest of the Vikings offensive line just became official:

Vikings’ G Nick Easton underwent surgery this morning to correct a herniated disc in his neck and his season is likely over, per his agent Joe Linta. But it is not expected to be a career-ending injury.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 9, 2018

Easton injured his knee earlier in the week and was going in for a second opinion…

Nick Easton is getting a second opinion on his neck and back from Dr. Jack Kelley in New Haven, Conn. He should have a resolution in 24-48 hours, according to a league source.

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) August 8, 2018

Well, looks like that second opinion clearly didn’t go well.

The Vikings will now look to move on from Nick Easton and try to build a somewhat sustainable offensive line without him. We now know Richie Incognito is out of the mix.. Will the Vikings try to bring in a different free agent or swing a rare trade at this time of year? Or, will they opt to stick with what they’ve got and try to improve those already-internal guys?

I’m honestly not sure. They better make it work, though. With the team the Vikings have, it’d be very sad to see the rest of this team go to waste because of the deficiencies that sit on the O-Line…

Let us know what you would like the Vikings to do at offensive line, now that Easton is done for the season. Comment below, or on our Facebook Page, or our Twitter account.

Eric Strack
Minnesota Sports Fan @RealMNSportsFan