It wasn’t cheap, either. As mentioned, the Vikings carefully targeted as many players as possible, who won’t affect their 2026 comp pick formula. But that didn’t mean they weren’t willing to spend money. As expected, the front office spent a large chunk of their bloated 2025 salary cap space within the first week of free agency’s opening bell.

Minnesota Vikings invested HEAVILY into current offensive line

When their 2024 season came to an abrupt end in the first round of the NFC Playoffs, both head coach Kevin O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made it their public mission to improve this offseason, on the interior of both the offensive and defensive lines.

Related: Ranking the Best Remaining Minnesota Vikings QB Options

There are legitimate questions surrounding the age and injury history of the veterans they have added in the trenches, but the vision is clear. On defense, the Vikings signed proven interior talents, Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, who should immediately fix that weakness, if healthy.

And according to popular NFL analyst Warren Sharp, the signings of (C) Ryan Kelly and (RG) Will Fries on the o-line have pushed the Vikings offensive line to the 5th most expensive in the entire league — at $64.4 million on the books for 2025.

most expensive offensive lines in 2025:

1. $95.3M – Panthers
2. $81.5M – Chiefs
3. $67.7M – Giants
4. $66.1M – Bears
5. $64.4M – Vikings
6. $63.9M – Lions
7. $62.3M – Broncos
8. $61.4M – Commanders
9. $60.0M – Chargers
10. $58.5M – Titans
11. $58.5M – Falcons
12. $55.8M – Eagles…

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 13, 2025

Remember, that $64.4 million number will change between now and the start of the 2025 NFL season. The Minnesota Vikings could sign another veteran, at some point (maybe a LG?). It’s very possible they spend some of their draft capital later this month on the o-line, too.

Kwesi, O’Connell prove to be men of their word

In either case, the amount invested will depend on the talent acquired. We may also see contract restructures that affect the o-line cost next season. Brian O’Neill, for example, has a restructure clause in his deal — which is due to pay him $26 million in 2025 — that the Vikings can trigger to gain immediate cap space, in exchange for more cash up front.

Related: New Vikings O-Lineman Helped Sign His Former Teammate

But no matter what changes we see to the total dollars spent between now and September, there’s no doubt the Minnesota Vikings paid off their promise to invest in the interior offensive line this offseason. The $64.4 million includes $6 million still owed to Garrett Bradbury, according to Spotrac.com.

As long as the newcomers can stay healthy — a bet that is worth questioning — it appears the longtime interior OL issues we have all complained about for the last decade may finally be behind us. Of course, this is Minnesota, and we don’t usually get nice things here. So until we see it, most Vikings fans will be hard-pressed to fully believe.

The Vikings didn’t sustain a drive until Aaron Jones broke two runs for a total of 20 yards on consecutive plays. Then Sam Darnold was sacked and threw an interception. Darnold was sacked on the first three offensive possessions, losing 29 yards in total.

Sam Darnold takes sacks…so many sacks

When asked after the game where his offense struggled most, O’Connell pointed to the Vikings’ interior offensive line. It struggled to move the Rams on both run and pass plays.

Kevin O’Connell says there is “no question” the Vikings have to solidify the interior of their offensive line this offseason.

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) January 14, 2025

Kevin O'Connell: "We've got to find a way to solidify the interior of the pocket. … There could be a 1,000 excuses made, but for me, it's the foundation of the interior of the pocket that we're going to have to take a long look at."

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) January 14, 2025

But Darnold does take a lot of sacks. It’s a thing he does. He holds the ball. But were all these sacks his fault? Many of them were, but some of the blame falls on Kevin O’Connell for putting Darnold in those situations by calling long-developing pass plays.

Not a single sack took less than 2.5 seconds, which is the cutoff for the stat “pass block win rate.” The offensive line “won” more than they lost, but 11 pass block losses is still a lot.

More context: the Rams allowed six pressures to the Vikings’ 24, meaning the Rams offensive linemen owned the blitzing Brian Flores. Meanwhile an injury-riddled Minnesota offensive line struggled to contain LA pass rushers.

Only 2 of Darnold's 6 sacks taken have come in less than 4.4 seconds. None faster than 3.2 seconds per @NextGenStats

— Bill Smith (@BillSmithNFL) January 14, 2025

Oh man, only 11 of those 24 pressures happened within 2.5 seconds of the snap.

My God, Sam.

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) January 14, 2025

The combination of ball-holding quarterback, long-developing plays, and poor line play created a perfect storm that sunk the Vikings’ ship. Regardless, the offensive line has been a problem in Minnesota for as long as this writer can remember.

Minnesota Vikings’ offseason opportunities

There’s an opportunity to remedy the situation this offseason. The Vikings have all the money in the world to spend ($73.2 million), and All-Pro right guard Trey Smith is a free agent.

Related: What We Learned About the Minnesota Vikings in Yet Another Demoralizing Playoff Loss

When it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft, both Tyler Booker (Alabama) and Donovan Jackson (Ohio State) are projected to be drafted right around the Vikings’ selection (24th), according to CBS Sports. So there’s hope on the horizon, especially with left tackle Christian Darrisaw returning from a knee injury that ended his season.

Kirk Cousins pressure stats in 2023

But there is more to offensive line production than how often the QB takes a hit. Yes, Kirk leads the league in the amount of times he’s been knocked down.

Related: Most of the Country will be Watching Vikings vs Chiefs on Sunday

He also ranks 3rd, out of all starting quarterbacks, for time in the pocket (2.7 seconds), which tracks the amount of time, on average, that a QB spends between the ball being snapped and him passing or feeling pressure and 4th of all QB’s in the amount of blitzes he faces.

The eye test, at times, along with Kirk Cousins’ high pressure numbers, might tell us that the Vikings’ offensive line is struggling. A closer look, however, tells a different story. The o-line’s individual PFF grades are rather impressive, all things considered.

What are the PFF grades for Vikings offensive line?

Vikings Offensive Line ranked near top of NFL

Ben Baldwin (Computer Cowboy on Twitter) put together a composite offensive line rating that uses the three most trusted sources in judging o-line performance, PFF (40%), SIS (40%) and ESPN pass/run block win rate (20%).

Related: Two Key Wins in 2023 Would Make Kirk Cousins the 5th QB in NFL History to Defeat All 32 Teams

Where do the Minnesota Vikings rank, according to the Computer Cowboy, you ask? Go ahead and rub your eyes, pinch yourself… whatever.

Through four weeks of the NFL season, the Vikings rank #6 in composite pass block rating and #6 in composite run block rating. Both are actually down from week 3, when the Vikings ranked #4 and #5 in the NFL, respectively.

Run block composite ratings

The Eagles are *dominating* this pic.twitter.com/lWyvjClz1O

— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) October 4, 2023

If these offensive line rankings were based strictly on one of the three rating systems, Minnesota being ranked so high wouldn’t be as shocking. But to see them ranked in the top-6 for both run and bass block, in a composite rating like Baldwin’s is downright jarring.

Dare to hope…?

While I’m not here to enshrine the 2023 Minnesota Vikings offensive line into the Ring of Honor just yet, the positive development on the offensive line should give fans hope. Kirk Cousins leads the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns, Justin Jefferson in receiving yards. And now, the Computer Cowboy is telling me the offensive line is way better than average?

Related: Minnesota Vikings game today: TV schedule, channel, and more

If Dalton Risner can make the front-5 even better and Cam Akers brings a flash of lightning to the backfield, maybe…. just maybe…. the Vikings can perform a historic turnaround yet this season and make the 14-team playoff field.

Calm down, calm down… let’s just fix the chronic turnover issue and go from there.

More Minnesota Vikings offensive line statistics:

How many sacks has the Minnesota Vikings offensive line allowed in 2023?

The Vikings offensive line has allowed 10 sacks through four games, 17th most in the NFL.

What is the Minnesota Vikings allowed sack percentage in 2023?

The Vikings offensive line has surrendered sacks on 6% of offensive plays in 2023, good for 15th best in the NFL.

How many QB pressures have the Vikings offensive line allowed?

The Minnesota Vikings have 52 total QB pressures allowed on the season (PFF).

How many times has the Minnesota Vikings offensive line allowed a QB hit?

Vikings offensive linemen have allowed 18 QB hits in 2023 (PFF)

Kwesi & Co extended Kirk Cousins and plugged holes throughout the defense. Do they have a depth problem throughout the roster? Yes. But the front office did find a way to sure up the defensive line and, after getting Patrick Peterson back under contract on Wednesday, the secondary might have a chance too.

You can read more on about the defensive depth chart HERE. Below is a look at where the Vikings offensive depth chart currently sits (with some help from ESPN) and where the front office might look to improve early in the draft.

Quarterback

1. Kirk Cousins
2. Sean Mannion
3. Kellen Mond

The only interesting conversation at quarterback, beyond everyone’s obsession with Kirk Cousins, has to do with Kellen Mond. He was drafted in the 3rd round last year and there have been some reports that Rick Spielman going rogue on draft night to get it done. Since, he’s been completely forgotten by two different regimes. If Mond can’t beat Mannion out at Training Camp, do the Vikings dress three QB’s? Given Kirk’s ironman streak of health, that feels like a waste.

Running (Half) Back

1. Dalvin Cook
2. Alexander Mattison
3. Kene Nwangwu
4. AJ Rose Jr

We all know who the #1 running back is on this team but Dalvin Cook is getting older and more expensive with every year that goes by. Alexander Mattison is what he is, at this point. But Kene Nwangwu showed his intense level of skill in the kick return game, as a rookie. We’ll see what Kevin O’Connell’s offensive mind cooks up for Nwangwu. The talent is there if the Vikings new offensive guru can unlock it.

KENE NWANGWU RETURNS THE KICK FOR 98 YARDS ????

TOUCHDOWN VIKINGS

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/XnocnOyRbQ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 7, 2021

Fullback

1. CJ Ham

Ham is one of the few fullbacks who remain in the NFL. Dalvin Cook loves him some good Ham and Kevin O’Connell claims he’s excited to use him, as well. We’ll see if that actually comes to fruition because the Vikings can save money by cutting CJ Ham and O’Connell isn’t known to run a 21-personell offense (two RBs). Under McVay, the Rams created one of the best offenses in the league using almost all 11 (one RB, one TE, three WR) or 10 (one RB, no TE, four WR) personnel.

Wide Receiver

1. Justin Jefferson
2. Adam Thielen
3. KJ Osborn
4. Ihmir Smith-Marsette
5. Bisi Johnson

How good will Justin Jefferson — and the Vikings passing game, in general — be with an offensive-minded head coach? We’re about to find out. He and KJ Osborn blossomed under the Zimmer coaching regime and WR coach Keenan McCardell was one of the only coaches held over because of it. Still, the NFL world expects even more, with O’Connell steering the ship. I’d be surprised to see Kwesi & Co go WR in the first two days of next month’s draft, though anything is possible if they get good enough value.

Tight End

1. Irv Smith Jr.
2. Johnny Mundt
3. Ben Ellefson

Tyler Conklin left in free agency so the Vikings will rely on Irv Smith Jr returning to full health and contributing heavily in the passing game. He was ascending as a guy Kirk Cousins was looking to on a regular basis last preseason, before he was injured and ruled out for the year. The Vikings will take it slow with him this offseason. Mundt and Ellefson total 11 receptions and 18 targets in their combined 7 years of NFL experience.

Irv Smith Jr. using all of his tools to create separation.

*Hesitation & eyes freeze DB
*It puts DB in trail tech (Smith by DB)
*Uses eyes and body language to sell corner route
*Drag & plant to make an immediate & sudden break#Vikings pic.twitter.com/mddkMSQ7Ow

— Cover 1 (@Cover1) July 18, 2020

Offensive Line

• LT: Christian Darrisaw — Blake Brandel
• LG: Ezra Cleveland — Chris Reed OR Wyatt Davis OR Oli Udoh
• C: Garrett Bradbury — Austin Schlottmann
• RG: Chris Reed OR Jesse Davis OR Oli Udoh OR Wyatt Davis
• RT: Brian O’Neill — Timon Parris

There is still plenty for the to worry about on the Minnesota Vikings depth chart at offensive line. It’s probably sad, in fact, that I’m somehow relieved at only having two huge concerns. Right guard could be a dumpster fire. Wyatt Davis was supposed to be the answer, when he was drafted in the 3rd round of last year’s draft, but he struggled to even dress on game days for most of the season.

Now, due to cap constraints, the only improvement Kwesi could dig up was Jesse Davis, who graded (PFF) as the worst offensive lineman on the league’s worst offensive line (Dophins) during 2021. Can J. Davis improve with a move back to the inside? Is W. Davis still alive? God, I hope so.

Update: The Vikings signed former Minnesota State – Mankato Maverick, Chris Reed, to compete for the open right guard position. Read more about him HERE. He’s the favorite to start.

Center position is the other cause for concern on the O-line. Well, for those of us who have watched Garrett Bradbury play for the last few years, since being picked in the first round of the 2018 draft. But Kevin O’Connell has repeatedly vowed his love for Bradbury, making it clear he will be the guy come August/September.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said there’s a lot to like with the team’s offensive line, noting the talent at tackle. Asked specifically about Garrett Bradbury’s inconsistencies, O’Connell said he liked Bradbury’s athleticism. pic.twitter.com/OROPmvRt31

— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) March 2, 2022

Draft Targets

On offense, the only first round targets I really see Minnesota honing in on, is the interior offensive line, especially if Tyler Lindenbaum (Iowa) falls to them. I’d be shocked to see them go anywhere else at #12, on the offensive side of the ball.

But that won’t be the case on defense, where Kwesi & Co have plenty of positions they’ll be looking to improve immediately. The defensive side of this depth chart blog will come out tonight.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Also, All-Conference honors are being handed out across the country, the Big Ten included. Defensive honors were announced yesterday and Boye Mafe was the only player to be named to any of the six all-conference teams. On Wednesday, however, the offensive winners sheet has the Minnesota offensive line is all it.

Four, Faalele, Andries, Michael-Schmitz and Olson, were named to at least one of the All Big Ten teams. Both Sam Schlueter and Ko Keift were also named honorable mentions.

????????????-???????????? ???????????????????????????? ????

????: https://t.co/JnpVrd1WHw pic.twitter.com/gWjl71SxOq

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 1, 2021

All Big Ten accolades for #Gophers offensive:

Coaches/Media
Daniel Faalele – 1st team/3rd team
Blaise Andres – 3rd team/1st team
Mike-Schmitz – 2nd team/3rd team
Conner Olson – /3rd team

Honorable mentions:
Sam Schlueter
Ko Kieft
Chris Autman-Bell

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 1, 2021

Numbers and the Future

The Minnesota Gophers offensive line deserves all of the accolades it gets. They helped five different running backs go off for the most yards (2,575) since 2014 (2,801). The 25 rushing touchdowns were the most by any Gophers team since 2016, when they went for 34. 

(WR) Chris Autman-Bell was also named an Honorable Mention by the media. CRAB made 35 catches for 490 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games.

We know at least a few of these guys will not be back for next year. Daniel Faalele accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl and Schlueter, Olson and Kieft are all out of eligibility. Others’ plans, like Bell and Andries, still remain unknown.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

But does that mean Bradbury should be immediately crowned as the starting center once again? Well, not if it means benching Mason Cole.

The #Vikings activated Garrett Bradbury from the COVID-19 reserve list, and placed Josh Metellus on it. Tackle Timon Perres was also activated from the practice squad COVID-19 list.

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) November 16, 2021

Cole vs Bradbury

If you’ve watched the Vikings’ offensive line play all season then you may have noticed a difference in blocking up the middle over the last couple of games. That’s because Kirk Cousins hasn’t had interior defensive linemen immediately punching him in the face during every other drop back.

Even last week, Cole’s worst as a Viking according to Pro Football Focus, Kirk seemed a lot more comfortable than what we’ve seen when it’s Bradbury blocking in front of him. Their PFF grades show the difference as well. In all three grading categories (Pass Block | Run Block | Offense), Mason Cole is better than Garret Bradbury.

PFF would start Mason Cole over Garrett Bradbury. #Vikings

Cole – PBLK: 54.4 RBLK: 71.1 OFF: 68.8

Bradbury – PBLK: 36.0 RBLK: 67.0 OFF: 56.2 pic.twitter.com/LUWVzyFKjw

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 17, 2021

Bradbury Regret

Cole’s grades may not be great. But they’re still head and shoulders better than Garrett Bradbury, who’s been a major disappointment since the Minnesota Vikings drafted him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

In his three seasons wearing purple, the NC State alum is yet to post a PFF pass block grade above a 41.4, which he notched as a rookie. Since then, he’s steadily regressed (2020: 38.8, 2021: 36.0) as a blocker for Kirk Cousins, who struggles big time when pressured up the middle.

How do you regress from a rookie pass block grade in the low 40’s? Nobody’s quite sure but Garrett somehow found a way.

Is Mason Cole’s Play Sustainable

Mason Cole isn’t an over-the-hill veteran. In fact, he’s just 25.5 years old, which is actually younger than the 26.5-year-old Bradbury. But unlike his fellow center, Cole has gotten better with age, improving all of his Pro Football Focus grades as his career has gone on.

Cole’s playing time is certainly something worth keeping an eye on though. He has struggled more in years where he’s been forced into a bigger role. But 2021 has been, so far, the best of his career even as his playing time has risen.

Remember, it’s difficult to find good ways to judge the offensive line, beyond using your own eye test week in and week out, which is a dangerous barometer to rely on. PFF gives us another tool to help us verify what we see each game.

Option C – Bench Oli Udoh

Option C means playing both Mason Cole and Garrett Bradbury, in favor of Oli Udoh, who’s gotten progressively worse at left guard since the 2021 season has played out.

Last week, it was as if he committed a penalty on every drive. His PFF grades have fallen off a cliff as the season’s gone on, too. If the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff is bound and determined to play Garrett Bradbury then sitting Udoh would be another way to keep Mason Cole in the starting lineup.

Bradbury played most of his college career at guard and Cole has played there throughout his NFL career. Hopefully, Zimmer and Kubiak would be smart enough to play Cole at center. Option C would also be another way they could attempt to salvage the career of their former 1st round pick.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Vikings improved their record to 1-2 in that week 3 win over Seattle and their offensive line netted one of its best performances in years. But then, the Cleveland Browns came to town a week later and put reality back into perspective. The Minnesota offensive line is what we thought it was and that’s not a good thing.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Minnesota Vikings offensive line allowed 30 total pressures, 7 QB hits and allowed their rushers just 1.1 yards before contact. If you watched the game, you’re not surprised by these horrid statistics.

I almost wrote a blog about Kirk Cousins the MVP candidate after the convincing Seattle victory. Yikes, right? Maybe… but maybe not. If Kirk is protected by an offensive line that doesn’t resemble a crew of Best Buy security guards opening on Black Friday, the future possibilities could be endless.

Four man rush destroys the Vikings line and Kirk Cousins. pic.twitter.com/RzsAPxYU3c

— The 60FPS & GIF Guy (@IHaveFourBalls) October 3, 2021

Clowney lost his damn mind against the Vikings pic.twitter.com/xvtgYSGilT

— Johnny Kinsley (@Brickwallblitz) October 4, 2021

Historically Bad

You might not be grasping how terrible the offensive line played on Sunday. Maybe my metaphors aren’t good enough. Maybe you need more than three tweeted video clips to form an opinion. Fine, but let’s see if some more advance metrics dug out by Arif Hasan (The Athletic) can portray things in a better light.

Kirk Cousins, according to PFF, was pressured on 55% of his drop backs vs the Cleveland Browns. According to Arif, that’s only happened three other times in Cousins’ Vikings tenure. Not only did the purple lose those three previous games, they haven’t won at all when Kirk gets pressured at a rate higher than 44% of his drop backs.

But this isn’t a Kirk Cousins thing. When the rest of the league’s quarterbacks are pressured on >44% of drop backs, they win just 36.7% of the time. When pressure rates reach 55% or more, teams win just 26.7% of the time. I’m not here to give Arif’s entire article away but I thought these were fascinating metrics that fans can use in the future to judge offensive line play and who might be to blame when the pass game struggles.

It’s no surprise that keeping your quarterback clean is a major key to winning NFL games.

Priority Problem #1

Look, Sunday’s performance against the Browns’ defensive front wasn’t one lineman’s fault. Brian O’Neill, for example, allowed his first pressures of the season on Sunday. And all five offensive linemen took a hit to their PFF grades.

But Rashod Hill’s 39.3 PFF grade through four weeks ranks 71st of 73 qualified NFL offensive tackles. He’s become by-far the biggest weakness on this Vikings offense. His PFF grade makes Garrett Bradbury’s 54.7 (26th of 33 qualified centers) look pro bowl worthy. To exacerbate the situation, Hill plays left tackle so he continually goes up against some of the most talented and highest compensated defensive edge rushers league-wide.

This clip is everything you need to know about the Vikings Browns game. pic.twitter.com/orssLNwsll

— Crushing Skols (@CSkols) October 3, 2021

AND NOW: A day's worth of Rashod Hill getting knocked flat on his ass, courtesy of exclusively Myles Garrett.

Set of course, to benny hill#Vikings #Skol pic.twitter.com/h4v0Ze54Tq

— Luke Braun (@LukeBraunNFL) October 5, 2021

In other words, Kirk Cousins’ blind side is incredibly vulnerable, which is not something the Minnesota coaching staff or front office should take lightly. We’ve seen what Cousins can do if well protected and he’s going to need an MVP-type finish to 2021 if the Vikings are going to return to playoff relevancy.

Some guys are meant to be depth pieces and that’s ok.

Don’t lose your temper on Rashod Hill. He wasn’t supposed to be the Minnesota Vikings starting left tackle in 2021 or beyond. His PFF numbers show it. Hill had easily the best PFF grade of his career in 2020 (72.4), when he played just 11% of offensive snaps. In (4) 2021 games, he’s already more than doubled his snap count from all 16 games in 2020.

Rashod Hill scored a PFF grade under 60 in each of the two seasons he took 50% or more of the offensive snaps. He’s over a 60 grade in years he takes 15% or less. That’s pretty telling and rather incredible.

Rashod Hill isn’t a bad NFL offensive lineman. He’s just a bad starting NFL offensive lineman. #Vikings pic.twitter.com/xAgFIWJYfL

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 5, 2021

For this offense to hum, Cousins needs to be kept upright and off the injury report. Just because he’s been overly durable throughout the first half of his career, doesn’t mean anything is promised for tomorrow. One blindside shot could change that healthy reputation in a hurry.

Help on the way?

The starting left tackle for this 2021 Minnesota Vikings squad was supposed to be a 1st round rookie. Instead, Christian Darrisaw saw the practice field for the first time two weeks ago and the playing field for the first time on Sunday vs the Browns. He took one snap, blocking for the only extra point Minnesota kicked.

Admittedly, we have no idea what Darrisaw will look like or how he will handle the right defensive ends he’ll go up against in the NFL. But if he’s really a 1st round talent and healthy enough to play then Christian Darrisaw cannot be worse than Rashod Hill. If he is,.. then the Vikings are in big trouble.

I’m not typing this blog to say that the Vikes are one competent left tackle away from a really good offensive line. But in the middle of a season, fixing the entire front-fence isn’t feasible. You need to pick and choose the spots that need fixing the most. In the case of this Minnesota offense, that’s at left tackle.

Klint Kubiak may have given him a vote of confidence last week but he was proven wrong. Rashod Hill needs to go (to the bench for more limited work). The Vikings coaching staff has to get Darrisaw ready to play immediately, before it’s too late. And “too late” is getting dangerously close to current reality.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Right now, this is a football team being propped up by their often vilified QB Kirk Cousins, who’s being protected by an offensive line that’s been much better than what we’ve seen in recent Vikings history. Four of five starting offensive linemen have shown measurable improvement and (RG) Oli Udoh is flashing early signs of an o-line staple for years to come.

But there’s one ugly sore-thumb sticking out of the far left side of that o-line. The 29-year-old (6-year veteran) Rashod Hill has struggled throughout the 2021 campaign and his PFF grade shows it.

Snapshot of the #Vikings grades and rankings through week 3: pic.twitter.com/7HhZvyzCIj

— Nick Olson (@NickOlsonNFL) September 27, 2021

“Rashod’s our guy”

Hill’s grade of 42.7 is by-far the worst on the offensive line and ranks 72nd among 74 qualified NFL tackles. Center, Garrett Bradbury’s undesirable 53.6 grade doesn’t look so bad when Hill’s is included in the graphic. This is why the Vikings targeted a left tackle early in the 2021 draft. That draft pick, Christian Darrisaw, is now cleared medically and practicing with the team. But that doesn’t mean Hill’s job is in jeopardy.

Offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, spoke with reporters on Thursday as part of his weekly OC duties. He put in a vote of confidence for his starting left tackle, Rashod Hill, calling him “our guy”. In the next sentence, Kubiak talked about the long road Christian Darrisaw has to actually finding his way into the o-line rotation.

It feels like weeks, if not months, until Darrisaw is an actual threat to take the starting left tackle job from Rashod Hill, no matter how poor Hill plays.

Klint Kubiak on the left tackle job pic.twitter.com/iStLSZtpOU

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 30, 2021

“Rashod [Hill]’s our guy. It’s good to have Christian [Darrisaw] back in practice. He’s getting better. He’s only had a few days so you have to build him up and do it the right way and I’m really pleased with his progression.”

Klint Kubiak (above video)

Kirk on Fire

The Minnesota Vikings will have to ride or die with Rashod at left tackle into the foreseeable future. How long that will be remains to be seen but, if you trust Klint’s tone, we shouldn’t hold our collective breaths. There was no hesitation by Kubiak when asked about Darrisaw as possible LT competition for Hill. He’s not.

Still, a semi-competent Rashod Hill might be all a smoldering Kirk Cousins needs to stack a few wins at home. Even with the injured ankle of Dalvin Cook and the lackluster week-by-week performances from their left tackle, the purple and gold offense has been humming behind Cousins’ right arm, posting 425 yards and 29 points per game.

If you noticed in the graphic near the top of this blog, Kirk is sporting a ridiculous 89.1 PFF grade through three weeks, good for 3rd in the league. Nobody (other than me) saw Kirk Cousins confidently leading the Minnesota offense to the tune of 800 yards, 8 touchdowns and 0 interceptions through three games.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Many in the media, however, would rather sell vaccination status storylines that pin the fate of the Vikings’ season on NFL rules that don’t always follow the science of how COVID-19 spreads. Data tells us that vaccinated people can contract and spread the virus (fully vaccinated countries are hitting record highs in cases) too, yet the league has MUCH stricter quarantine and mask-wearing procedures for their unvaccinated players. Why?

Then, those same media members (with plenty of help from Mike Zimmer) want to turn that vaxxed vs unvaxxed fight into locker room consternation that we don’t know exists. Yes, we know the head coach wants everyone vaccinated. He doesn’t want to worry about unfair rules effecting the availability of his unvaxxed players. But beyond what Zim has expressed in press conferences, we don’t actually know if the vaccination status of certain guys is stirring up controversy within TCO Performance Center. More importantly, the Vikings locker room.

Vikings had at least 13 players unvaxxed as of last week (so top rate of 81.1% with active roster and practice squad). They were no better than 77.3% on active roster (41/53 at best), but source had said several players were in process. https://t.co/UZPlI3nkFG

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) September 8, 2021

He is selfish. He is not a leader.

Kirk Cousins’ leadership questioned over refusal to get COVID vaccine | Fox News https://t.co/gKPMUNgikD#VikingsChat #ProlongingThePandemic

— MN Vikings Chat (@mnvikingschat) September 2, 2021

What we should worry about

We do know the Minnesota Vikings offensive line was bad again last year. We also know that one of their two competent offensive linemen, Riley Reiff, now plays for Cincinnati. So, he’ll be on the field Sunday but not in a Vikings uniform. His replacement plan, 1st round draft pick Christian Darrisaw, hasn’t taken a practice snap yet because of a lingering injury.

Unless a miracle has unfolded during training camp, suddenly turning Oli Udoh and Rashod Hill into the starting-caliber offensive linemen that they’ve never been, the vaccine status of Kirk Cousins isn’t going to matter. He’ll be at home with broken bones and we’ll be stuck watching a 4-13 football team led by Sean Mannion.

So let’s focus on the things that realistically have a shot at torpedoing the 2021 Vikings. Panicking over the vaccine status of Kirk Cousins or other stars along the offense and defense makes no sense. But then again, neither does writing fluff pieces on Rashod Hill and Oli Udoh, who we all hope play as few downs as possible, vs hit pieces on a QB you can’t win without.

Welcome to 2021.

Maybe @Charley_Walters should come out and tell us how he really feels about Kirk Cousins? pic.twitter.com/Z6nJ2p5xfE

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 7, 2021

No, but to be fair, he did write about how the Vikings can realistically cut ties with the unvaccinated safety as early as next offseason lol. pic.twitter.com/BKxRyuDPqf

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 7, 2021

Anything can happen

This blog isn’t refuting anything written about “what could happen” if Kirk Cousins were to become a “close contact” or contract COVID-19 during the season. If that were to happen, he’d be forced to sit out of team activities for a longer period of time than someone who’s vaccinated. Yes, that could happen. But if we’re that upset about it, shouldn’t we also be questioning the premise behind the rules, especially if those rules don’t make sense?

Missing a week or two because of COVID-19 isn’t going to doom the Minnesota Vikings season anyway. I’m not going to speculate about a playoff or super bowl COVID absence. And it’s worth mentioning again: we’ve seen elsewhere in the NFL and around the world, vaccinated people can contract and spread the virus too. We have no idea what next week will look like in this world, let alone multiple months from now.

Much like an injury to the wrong player at the wrong time, COVID could impact the Vikings’ season. But the likelihood of it happening in a large way is being unsurprisingly overblown. If you want to look for something that could derail the season, look in a familiar spot: the offensive line.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

After letting Riley Reiff go earlier this offseason and then taking Christian Darrisaw (1st) and Wyatt Davis (3rd) early in last month’s draft, the Minnesota Vikings know what they want their 2021 reconfigured offensive line to look like. There’s still a lot of time before we kickoff any real football games this season, so anything in place now is obviously subject to change, but here’s how the Vikings are lining up their offensive trenches to start rookie minicamp.

So possible early indications for the #Vikings offensive line this season: Christian Darrisaw at left tackle, Ezra Cleveland at left guard, Garrett Bradbury at center, Wyatt Davis at right guard and Brian O'Neill at right tackle. But it's early so we'll see.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) May 14, 2021

Ezra Cleveland, who trained as the 2nd team left guard in camp and started 9 games at right guard out of necessity, should move back to left guard with Davis playing at right.

I expect the OL to be (L to R) Darrisaw – Cleveland – Bradbury – Davis – O'Neill https://t.co/dvYzqmu7lP

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) May 14, 2021

Ezra Switches Sides

Virginia Tech rookie Christian Darrisaw, who’s expected to start at left tackle immediately, will be the Vikings’ attempt at a direct replacement for Riley Reiff, who had the best season of his career in 2020 but now plays in Cincinnati. Garrett Bradbury and Brian O’Neill will hold their ground and center and right tackle but the Vikings will ask 2nd-year Boise State o-lineman, Ezra Cleveland to shift positions for the second time.

Cleveland was drafted as a left tackle but the Vikings’ interior o-line was so rotten in 2020 they were forced to move him to right guard out of desperation. He quickly became their best option and started the final nine games of the season there. With the insertion of Wyatt Davis on the right side, Ezra will remain at guard but he’ll shuffle to the other side of Garrett Bradbury.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan