On paper, the Minnesota Vikings look like a much improved team from what we saw take the field in 2020. But most of those improvements have been gifted to Mike Zimmer, in order to help fix last year’s hideous defense. What I came here to talk type about, is an offseason narrative on the other side of the football that has spun out of control.

“No more excuses for Kirk Cousins.”

Hopefully, an entirely revamped defense will mean less points the Vikings have to score on offense to win games. But outside of that, what does Kirk Cousins have in 2021 that he didn’t have in 2020? The only thing I see different on his side of the ball is a younger and less proven offensive line.

So far this offseason, the offense has lost its starting left tackle Riley Reiff, who was one of the few bright spots on that OL in 2020, and replaced him with a 1st-round draft pick who 22 other teams passed on, in Christian Darrisaw.

Then in the 3rd round, Wyatt Davis was drafted out of Ohio State and now our interior OL problems are supposedly solved. Have Vikings fans forgotten all of the disappointment we’ve faced, that stems from drafting offensive linemen out of Ohio State?

And at this point, the Minnesota coaching staff is still holding their OL rookies back. Dakota Dozier might have been the worst offensive guard to ever grace a professional football field last season. But, Dozier is still on the roster and, as of now, taking starter reps over Davis in OTA’s and minicamp. Rashod Hill is currently running with the 1’s at LT.

The Vikings offense is loaded ???? pic.twitter.com/4nbXUMkHwy

— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) June 12, 2021

Vikings’ first offensive line: Hill-Cleveland-Bradbury-Dozier-O’Neill.

— Judd Zulgad (@jzulgad) June 15, 2021

Dose of reality.

In reality, we need to assume this offensive line is currently worse than the one we saw in 2020. That doesn’t mean it will be. But you can’t replace Riley Reiff and Dakota Dozier with 1st and 3rd round rookies and then promise improvement. That’s needs to be proven, especially in this town.

Kirk Cousins has just two years left on his contract with the Minnesota Vikings, who drafted QB Kellen Mond in the 3rd round of April’s draft. At 32, the Vikings are hoping Cousins will use 2021 to launch himself into a new conversation regarding the ceiling of his career. But to do that, he needs wins. Specifically, in the playoffs.

Individual numbers have never been a problem for Kirk but wins and playoff appearances have. If the Vikings miss the playoffs again in 2020, everyone around him will be fired and his status as an NFL franchise QB will be back up in the air. On the bright side, he’ll make $80+ million in the two seasons remaining on his deal. That should help him sleep at night. But his future, beyond the money, will be anyone’s best guess.

Maybe, just maybe…

The above worst case scenario can be “easily” avoided, however. The Minnesota Vikings currently look like far-and-away the best team in the NFC North, especially with Rodgers’ unhappiness in Green Bay. If 2021 goes as Mike Zimmer and the rest of the organization hopes, then Kirk Cousins will cement himself as one of the greatest Minnesota Vikings QB’s in its long history and the Zimmer, Spielman, Cousins era will continue.

If the offensive line does improve and Zimmer’s on-paper defense translates on the field, Kirk Cousins is set up for the best season of his career. An improved offensive line would open even more holes for Dalvin Cook and allow more comfortability for Kirk Cousins. You can easily see all of that snowballing into a play action passing game that allows Thielen, Jefferson and Smith Jr to devastate NFL secondaries all season long.

Minnesota has made 5 such picks in recent years. That group obviously includes:

2018: O’Neill (2nd rd.)
2019: Bradbury (1st)
2020: Cleveland (2nd)
2021: Darrisaw (1st), Davis (3rd)

Atlanta and Miami are 2nd with 4 such picks, while 10 teams have picked three. (2/4)

— Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith) June 11, 2021

It’s just as easy (and more enjoyable) to imagine that best-case scenario, as it is the worst. In this dream world, the Vikings aren’t losing very many football games. But again, we can’t just assume that to already be the case. We need to see this offensive line in action.

Not done yet?

Rick Spielman still has money to spend this offseason and it’ll be interesting to see whether he uses any of it to beef up the OL. A lot of that probably depends on how much they like their rookie left tackle and right guard during OTA’s and minicamp.

They could also use a WR3 and another DE to line up opposite Danielle Hunter… but a competent offensive line is more important to winning in 2021 than either of those needs.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Vikings are heading into the 2021 NFL offseason in “salary cap hell”. According to Spotrac.com, their current roster would usher in the new league year with -$8 million in available funds for Rick Spielman and Co. to work with. That’d make for a rough trip to the ATM…

But, there are some of ways for the Vikings to find extra money in the TCO Performance Center couch cushions. The most popular ways to free up cash for all teams across the league, is by cutting or restructuring player contract, where feasible.

How it works

Of course, it’s not as easy as waving a magic wand that cuts anybody at anytime. Players and agents negotiate to guarantee future money in these contracts and cutting or trading high-profile names will often incur cap penalties. These cap penalties are referred to as, “dead cap”, and are in place to deter teams from making such moves.

Some contracts are more malleable than others and it often depends on how far along in the lifespan a contract is. Normally, cutting or trading newly signed contracts will result in more “dead cap” money, than doing the same with older contracts.

But as NFL contracts age, less and less money is guaranteed and the “dead cap” number goes down, making it easier for teams to cut ties or ask for a renegotiation.

Malleable Vikings Contracts

The Minnesota Vikings have a handful of contracts that are ripe to be re-done or ripped up all together and there’s nearly $50 million in savings on the table. The list, of course, is packed with the most high-profile of names and cutting all of them isn’t in the cards. That’s where restructures could come into play.

How Rick Spielman and Rob Brzezinski choose to move this money around, will not only dictate the course of this offseason, but the course of this franchise.

Decisions Start with Riley Reiff

The players at the top of this list are names that a thin Vikings team can’t really afford to lose. Yet… they can’t afford to pay all of them either. Riley Reiff might be the most difficult to figure out. The outlook at offensive line would topple if Riley isn’t holding down LT.

But, are the Vikings ready and willing to restructure and extend his contract, essentially locking him in as their future LT. He’s only 32 years old but this is a guy they forced to take a pay-cut (or get cut) just before 2020 got underway. That’d be quite the change of heart. If they leave his deal alone, their pockets become tighter this offseason.

And Reiff is only one of many difficult decisions this front office will face over the next few months. One mistake could mean the end of the Rick Spielman + Mike Zimmer Era.

No pressure.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Riley Reiff is a 32-year-old left tackle entering the last year of his contract with the Minnesota Vikings. After taking a pay-cut, from $11.3 million against the salary cap in 2019 to $8.2 million against the cap in 2020, Reiff is currently set to account for $13.95 million in 2021.

That’s nearly $3 million more than any of his prior seasons with the Vikings. As of now, it would be good for the 11th biggest cap hit among NFL left tackles for next season.

That puts the Minnesota Vikings in a tough spot since they are already over the 2021 salary cap, even if it doesn’t shrink for a season like many expect it to (Spotrac OR OverTheCap).

Riley Reiff Cap Hits

Over the cap says the #vikings will be $9 million over the cap and spotrac says $14 million over.

I’m hoping OTC is right.

— Ali Siddiqui (@asiddiqui15) January 9, 2021

The problem

But the Vikings may have a bigger problem heading into this offseason, than their salary cap woes. The offensive line sucks and seriously lacks depth. And after all of that preseason contract consternation, Reiff had the best year of his career in 2020.

Without Riley, who was arguably their best lineman, Kirk Cousins might not be alive.

So what are the Minnesota Vikings going to do? Well, they have four realistic options and they fully control three of them. Reiff would have to agree to the 4th.

1: Do nothing

Let’s get the obvious option out of the way. Riley played 2020 like a top-10 left tackle so paying him $14 million (11th in NFL) in 2021 is absolutely fair, especially when he took a pay-cut last year.

If the Vikings choose to let the final season of Reiff’s contract play out as written, they’d solve their LT tackle questions for one more year, while keeping flexibility for the future.

It would mean less flexibility in other areas of need this offseason, however.

Cut him

On paper, Riley Reiff looks like an easy cut option for Spielman. If let go, he carries just a $2.2 million dead cap figure. That means the Vikings would net nearly $12 million in additional cap dollars for this offseason if Rick decides to cut Reiff loose.

That’s money they could use elsewhere… or maybe not.

Cut 2 Trash Kickers. RIley Reiff too. Restructure a few deals (pay cuts potentially on Rudolph / Barr). Decision time on Harrison Smith & Anthony Harris. MUST upgrade interior OL. Joe Thuney is a tremendous fit. I've seen enough Dakota Dozier & crew.

— Chad Forbes (@NFLDraftBites) January 7, 2021

Another year, another offseason of people calling for Riley Reiff to be cut.

Reiff has been the Vikings' most consistent lineman this year and is 11th in cap hit among NFL LTs in 2021. MIN could save $11.75M but it creates another hole.

It feels like subtraction by subtraction

— Adam B. Carlson (@MNVikingZombie) January 1, 2021

Cutting Reiff would leave a GAPING hole somewhere on the line. If you move Ezra Cleveland back to his natural left tackle position, then you’re leaving Bradbury on an island next to God knows who on each side.

I’ve seen a lot of fans calling for Joe Thuney, who would cost just as much, if not more than Riley Reiff. Now we’ve definitely sured up one guard spot… but are we sure Cleveland is ready to handle LT in the NFL?

If you cut Reiff and leave Cleveland at RG, then you still need a legitimate left tackle to protect Kirk Cousins’ blindside. How much would that cost? $10+ million or a lucky draft pick…

Trade

This is the last, and least likely of the options that Reiff doesn’t have to sign off on, in order to complete. The Minnesota Vikings could trade Riley Reiff to fill another hole or add draft capital. I’m not going to go down this rabbit hole because I see it as the most unlikely.

The Vikings won’t get back what they’d want when shipping Reiff out of town.

Restructure

As mentioned, Riley would have to sign on the dotted line to complete this deal… but a fair extension wouldn’t be difficult to talk him into.

At 32, Reiff isn’t going to get many more chances at a long-term contract with guaranteed money. The Vikings could offer an extension that would give him another year or two of guaranteed cash, in exchange for cutting his cap hit down closer to the $8-11 million it’s been for previous years.

This decision, however, comes with its own set of consequences for Spielman. What if Reiff regresses after the best season of his career? Then the Minnesota Vikings are stuck with a declining left tackle who they now have under contract for more years.

Decisions, decisions…

Honestly, I think the Vikings will have to keep Riley Reiff under contract. Forget the money, they can’t afford to go without him on the field. If I’m Riley, I won’t take any contract extension that doesn’t have my best interest first, after what happened with my pay-cut last year.

But at the end of the day, if I’m Rick Speilman, I can’t extend Reiff. I might try to threaten another cut, like last year, but that’s VERY risky to try again.

So while Reiff looks like an easy way for the Vikings to find some more spending money for this offseason… Rick might be best just leaving well-enough alone for one more season.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Win or lose Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings will finish their 2020 season at Ford Field vs the Detroit Lions. Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen will all suit up but other stars won’t.

Dalvin Cook will not be available, following the sad and surprising death of his father earlier in the week. Eric Kendricks will miss another game with the same calf injury he’s been nursing for weeks and Cam Dantzler has also been ruled out.

There’s one expected absence, however, that’s been talked up more than the others mentioned above. Riley Reiff hit the COVID-19 list earlier this week. As of now, the team has not announced whether or not he will play vs the Lions but there’s growing concern that he will not.

Plans for Ezra will not change.

According to Gary Kubiak, Ezra Cleveland will play right guard on Sunday, no matter what Reiff’s playing status is. He was drafted as the future LT and played there for most of his college career at Boise State.

#Vikings set to give Rashod Hill the start at left tackle, Gary Kubiak says, with Ezra Cleveland sticking at right guard. Riley Reiff on COVID list. They want to keep Cleveland there for now, Kubiak says, adding where he'll play in 2021 will be a "question in the building," too

— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) December 31, 2020

Keeping Cleveland at guard for 2020’s last game, even if Reiff doesn’t play, makes sense for a few different reasons. Obviously moving him back to the LT could hinder progress he’s made on the right side.

On top of that, guard play for the Vikings behind Cleveland has been the flimsiest in the league. Kubiak also admitted that Rashod Hill deserves his chance at tackle. I’d agree, especially if the alternative is Dru Samia getting another shot at RG.

But still

But with all of that being said… left tackle is just too important of a position to fuck up. If the Minnesota Vikings were seriously considering Cleveland at LT in 2021 then it seems almost impossible that they wouldn’t take this opportunity to evaluate him there. Even if it’s just a “pre-test”, where the results wouldn’t be used against him going forward.

Riley Reiff still has one season left on his deal. If he plays 2021 like he did 2020, the $11.75 million he’d count against the cap would be much less than his worth. Rick Spielman already has enough questions that need to be answered on the OL this offseason. Why add another unnecessary one?

Keeping Reiff in purple would mean only one starting offensive line spot that needs to be addressed (hypothetically), heading into the offseason. You’d have Reiff at LT, Bradbury at C, Cleveland at RG and O’Neil at RT.

Missing Sunday could cost Riley Reiff $1 million

For Reiff, there COULD BE a lot of money riding on week 17. Riley needs to be on the field for 93.7% of Minnesota’s offensive plays in 2020, to reach a $1 million roster bonus. If he plays even a handful of snaps on Sunday, he’d be almost guaranteed to hit it.

If tackle Riley Reiff doesn't play on Sunday and the #Vikings run 67 or more plays and he falls below the 93.75 percent threshold for his additional $1 million bonus, I would be surprised if the Vikings didn't pay it to him anyhow.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) December 30, 2020

Even if he doesn’t play, the Vikings would have to run 67 offensive plays or more for Reiff to drop under 93.7% and miss out on that bonus. But here’s the catch.

The Minnesota Vikings offense averages 66.8 plays per game…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

So here we are. The Minnesota Vikings are now 6-9 and officially eliminated from expanded playoff contention in 2020. With just one game left on the schedule, it’s time to talk about what’s next for our favorite professional football team.

The offseason conversation needs to start in a very familiar place, the offensive line. The Vikings seem so close, yet so far away from competence at OL that the uncertainty is maddening. At this point, we no-longer know where “the process” is up front.

Where there isn’t uncertainty on the field, there’s uncertainty on paper. O-line seems to be a position group of focus for Rick Spielman every offseason, but this year’s could prove to be the most crucial in recent memory.

Let’s take a look under the hood, from left to right.

Left Tackle

Starter: Riley Reiff (32) – After some serious contract consternation right before the season kicked off, 2020 may have been the best of Reiff’s career. It’s definitely been his best in purple.

Riley Reiff has the 2nd-highest PFF grade out of all Vikings offensive linemen, trailing only the young anchor on the other side of the line, Brian O’Neil. He’s tied for the team lead in offensive snaps (1,003) and Riley has been arguably the most trustworthy frontline performer of 2020.

He’s still under contract in 2021, if the Minnesota Vikings want to bring him back for $14 million, which they absolutely should. If they were to cut him, they’d pay $2.2 million in dead cap (according to Spotrac.com).

It’d be an easy divorce, should Spielman decide to move on, but I really don’t think the Vikings can afford to do so. Rick forced Reiff into a paycut before the 2020 season, however, so we’ll see what his worth is for Rick entering 2021.

Left Guard

Starter?: Dru Samia (23) – Yes, Dru Samia is the only “guard” currently on the roster, outside of Ezra Cleveland, for 2021. Dakota Dozier, who is tied with Riley Reiff for the team’s most offensive snaps in 2020 (1,003), is an unrestricted free agent heading into this offseason.

Something needs to happen at guard. Like… desperately.

“If I die, I die”

-Kirk Cousins when he found out Dru Samia was on the team probably pic.twitter.com/u7MQRuauUm

— ???? ???? (@WoIIin) October 13, 2020

Center

Starter: Garrett Bradbury – Two seasons into his career and Garrett Bradbury has piled up 31 of a possible 31 starts. Yet… we know nothing about how good of an NFL center he is.

The Minnesota Vikings have been unable to surround Bradbury with any consistency on either side, rotating in terrible guard after terrible guard, until Ezra Cleveland gave them a little bit of hope in 2020.

The NC State alum holds a 61.2 PFF grade this season but that’s held afloat by his 67+ run grade. His pass grade is a rough 45.2. Can Spielman find some help for Bradbury up the middle? If so, will he take a huge step forward in 2021? Hopefully, we find out one way or the other.

This type of thing has been a problem for Garrett Bradbury throughout his first two seasons. Needs to improve his ability to anchor if he’s going to become a top-15 center pic.twitter.com/FljJhPlenM

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) December 25, 2020

Right Guard

Starter: Ezra Cleveland – I’m putting Ezra Cleveland at guard because the Minnesota Vikings cannot afford to let Riley Reiff go. That means Cleveland stays at RG, where he has played all of his snaps in 2020.

It’s been an up and down rookie season for the Boise State Alum, which should have been expected. He’s going through a side switch, from left to right and a position switch, from tackle to guard.

Still the Vikings and the man to his left, Garrett Bradbury, need him to improve heavily next year, if the team as a whole is going to take a step forward. Getting a guard to hold down the left side of the interior line would help…

Right tackle

Starter: Brian O’Neil – He’s been arguably the best Vikings offensive lineman this season and holds the best PFF grade (77.8). He’s the only Minnesota O-lineman who has either a pass block or rush block grade above 80 (RB – 83.3).

Currently, there is no problem with Brian O’Neil, either on the field or on paper. He’s been great and his rookie deal still has one season left on it. Spielman is getting the Wilf checkbook ready, though. This is a man who’s getting paid before 2022.

Backups

The only current backup available at offensive line for the 2021 season according to Spotrac.com, is (RT) Oli Udoh. Rashod Hill, Dakota Dozier and Rashod Hill are all set to be free agents.

This could prove to be the most crucial offseason for this Minnesota Vikings offensive line. Really though, it shouldn’t be that difficult to make big strides.

Spielman should be able to find a competent guard to place on the left side of Bradbury (via draft, free agency and/or trade), for under $8 million dollars.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Mike Zimmer can try to spin it all he wants to. The Minnesota Vikings activating and releasing Pat Elflein Saturday morning was weird. Sure the offensive line has looked better of late… but could it have looked worse than what it did for the first handful of games this season?

Some dude named Dakota Dozier is currently starting at LG for the Vikings. When Elflein was released on Saturday, “sources” said Brett Jones is going to be elevated again from the practice squad (lol) vs the Bears. I’m sure teams were foaming at the mouth to steal Jones from us if we didn’t call him up…. (not).

We may never find out what exactly happened with Pat. We do know a few things, though. The Vikings’ offensive line is now as thin as the ice that sits on our Minnesota lakes today (there isn’t any ice on our lakes yet) but it has 4 starters that are playing pretty well and showing promise for the future.

#Vikings OL according to PFF.

Reiff | Doz | Brad | Clev | O’Neil
71.2 | 52.9 | 68.9 | 63.2 | 80.2

Elflein’s grade is a 60.

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 15, 2020

Leaving Ezra Cleveland at RG

If you were planning on Ezra Cleveland being your starting left tackle for 2021 and beyond, then that’s probably where you would want to play him now. But after holding onto Reiff at the trade deadline and now releasing Elflein, it’s clear the Vikings are happy to play Cleveland at right guard, not left tackle.

Those two positions are very different. Cleveland is going through both a position AND side change. Most O-linemen don’t like to do one or the other, let alone both. I can’t imagine the Vikings making moves this drastic if their foreseeable future plans had Cleveland at LT. I expect them to play Cleveland at RG into 2021.

That means you re-sign Riley Reiff, right?

If the Minnesota Vikings plan on keeping their 2020 2nd round rookie at RG, then they can’t afford to let Riley Reiff go at the end of this season. Luckily for them, Reiff is under contract through the 2021 season. Does that surprise anyone?

The Wilfs would have to pay him more than they have in any year yet… but $14M (cap-hit) isn’t overpaying for a starting LT. Let’s not forget about the pay-cut they forced him to take before the 2020 season. Would he take a haircut again? He’s only supposed to make $11.6M in cash so you’d think the Vikings could re-work the deal so it’s easier on the cap and Reiff still makes as much in cash. We’ll see..

At this point, I’d say Reiff is more likely to play his home games in Minnesota next season, than not. If you would have told me that before the trade deadline, I would have laughed at you. I just don’t see any way Spielman can find a better bang for his buck in free agency.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Vikings were out of salary cap space, after trading for Yannick Ngakoue over the weekend. To balance the books, Rick Spielman decided on a very risky but calculated ultimatum. Riley Reiff would need to restructure his salary (take a pay cut) if he wanted to stay on the roster for the 2020 season.

Slick Rick’s risky business paid off today, when Riley Reiff begrudgingly accepted the Vikings’ offer, after 2 days of painful soul searching (or trade searching).

The Vikings and starting LT Riley Reiff are closing in on a restructured contract to stay with the team, per league source.

Minnesota keeps its stalwart offensive tackle.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 1, 2020

The #Vikings are finalizing a restructured contract with left tackle Riley Reiff, sources tell me and @RapSheet. One day after Reiff was offered a pay cut and said goodbye to teammates, he’s back and the O-line stays intact.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 1, 2020

This was absolutely best-case scenario for the Minnesota Vikings. We are yet to hear how much relief they will get from this restructure. Even if it is minimal, it’s necessary. The Vikings currently sit $600K in the red, after balancing their salary cap checkbook, according to spotrac.com.

As I anxiously detailed yesterday, the Minnesota Vikings need Riley Reiff just as much as he needs them, if they want to compete for a Super Bowl. Even with Reiff holding down the left edge of the offensive line, it’s still one of the biggest weak spots on the team.

Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook are just as happy as Rick Spielman, this afternoon.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

With the NFL season quickly approaching, there is still a mountain of questions yet to be answered. Everything from official season roster size to what happens when a team has a coronavirus outbreak. But one question that could have far-reaching implications on the Vikings and the entire NFL is the fluid status of the salary cap entering the 2021 season.

According to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, the NFL and NFLPA are discussing the impact of any revenue shortfall from the 2020 season. They are discussing how to spread the damage over the course of the next few seasons.

The proposal being discussed by the NFL and NFLPA would spread the impact of any revenue shortfall in 2020 over four years, with a 2021 salary cap of at least $175 million, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. No change to the 2020 cap despite owners' proposals.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 24, 2020

THE VIRUS THROWS THINGS INTO CHAOS

This comes down to whether fans are allowed into games or if NFL teams can manufacture alternative ways to generate the loss of gameday revenue this fall. With that being a tall task in a short amount of time, the two sides are trying to get ahead of the curve to minimize any future labor disputes.

As Mike Garafolo states, both parties are looking towards lowering the 2021 salary cap to $175 million from an originally projected $210 million. However, that $175 million number is fluid. If teams find a way to bring in substantial revenue, that number could climb.

Next year’s salary cap would be no lower than $175m. If revenues are better than expected, it could be higher. If worse, it would have to be accounted for in future years through 2024. But a cap minimum to assure a reasonable floor in 2021 was important to the players.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 24, 2020

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE VIKINGS?

This would mean big cuts for the Vikings in the coming spring. According to Over The Cap, the purple and gold are slated to spend around $189 million on their top 51 players in 2021. That projects to be more than $14 million over the proposed cap.

If the salary cap is $175 million in 2021, it should be noted that, according to Overthecap the #Vikings currently have $189.438 million of "under 51" liabilities on the books for 2021. They could be looking at big cuts next spring. https://t.co/B9gZOc8Rya

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) July 24, 2020

So who do the Vikings look to when finding ways to shed salary? Well, one big name comes to mind right off the bat in offensive tackle Riley Reiff. Although he has solidified an horrific offensive line since signing as a free agent in 2017, he has just been…ok.

While the Vikings could definitely utilize his services in helping the younger players on the line mature into their roles, he engulfs a large chunk of the payroll. He along counts for $13.95 million against the cap in 2021. Cutting Reiff alone would put the Vikings in a more manageable situation to get under the cap next year.

Khalil Mack throws Riley Reiff down with one arm pic.twitter.com/seWvBnspeV

— Vikings Blogger (@firstandskol) November 19, 2018

However, how much do the Vikings trust rookie tackle Ezra Cleveland? Do they say screw it and throw him into the fire or try and go out and find someone cheaper and sacrifice potential ability?

POTENTIAL RESTRUCTURES

The Vikings could also look to move on from interior defensive lineman Michael Pierce ($5 million) and inside linebacker Eric Wilson ($3.259 million). But they would then need to focus on replacements for those positions alongside shedding more salary.

New Vikings' NT Michael Pierce is an⚓️in the middle of the defensive line. Here are a number of plays that show that from the Ravens' game against the Patriots, with two of the best Gs in the NFL in Shaq Mason and Joe Thuney. pic.twitter.com/GdTd3RzFjN

— Matt Fries (@FriesFootball) March 19, 2020

Outside of those three options, the team could look to restructure other contracts. Kirk Cousins for example could restructure to a more back-loaded contract or Dalvin Cook could agree to a more team-friendly deal with back-loading as well. Cousins’ restructuring may be more of a pipe dream considering he just signed an extenaion after last season. But these are options the team has to look at to ensure they aren’t penalized next season.

It will be a tricky situation to navigate. But it is nothing general manager Rick Spielman or Rob Brzezinski haven’t dealt with before. Heck, they did it earlier this year when everyone was screaming about the team’s cap issues.

Whatever happens, in Spielman and Brzezinski we trust.

Jack Kewitsch | Minnesota Sports Fan

Heading into the 2017 draft, Elflein was ranked #80 on Jeff Legwold’s (ESPN.com) big board. Getting the Pickerington, Ohio native at number 70 was considered a homerun pick, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke.

“A doozy of a find in Round 3, and well worth trading up from No. 79 to get him. Elflein was the best center in this draft, and I think he can be Minnesota’s man in the middle for years to come,” said Burke.

Pat was indeed the man in the middle for the Viking,s in his rookie season. He started 14 games and was a key cog for the NFC runners-up. In the title game, however, he injured his ankle in the third quarter and was forced to miss the first four games of his 2nd season.

Elflein played in 863 snaps during Kirk Cousins’ first year under center for the Vikings, which was 36th among all guards/centers (according to Pro Football Focus). Among those 863 snaps, Elflein had seven penalties (T-4th highest) and gave up four sacks, which was tied for second most among all guards and centers.

via GIPHY

Pat Elflein was a big part of the issues on the offensive line, which ranked as the 29th best pass blocking unit in football (PFF), in 2018. As a unit, the Vikings gave up 226 pressures, which was the most in pro football.

The struggles from 2018, resulted in Vikings general manager Rick Spielman picking up Garrett Bradbury in the 2019 draft, who also won the Rimington Trophy in his final season at North Carolina State University. That forced Elflein to move back to guard, where he had a final grade of 64.8, allowed six sacks and had eight penalties in 2019….

It may have been a result of the system, under the tutelage of Gary Kubiak, but the Vikings were rated the 19th best NFL offensive line in 2019… much due to their success in the run game.

via GIPHY

After releasing Josh Kline, who was the starting right guard a season ago, it would be logical for the Vikings to slide Elflein over to the right side and push Riley Reiff to left guard. Reiff hasn’t played LG in the NFL, but did play the position in a handful of games at the University of Iowa.

Second year man, Dru Samia, could be the wrench in Pat Elflein’s plans. The Vikings absolutely love Samia. Don’t forget about Ezra Cleveland, who could start as early as week one, at left tackle. Should that be the case, the Vikings have four of their five OL spots secured, leaving one spot up for grabs; left guard.

Rick Spielman said he feels good about the Vikings’ offensive line, adding that the team is still high on Dru Samia. It seems like Samia has a good shot to win one of the starting guard jobs.

— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) April 26, 2020

Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State:

• Testing athleticism matches up
• Patient + Poised pass sets (++)
• Calculated second level climbs
• Efficient punch w/either hand
• Above average anchor strength (+)
• Excellent zone-scheme fit
• Trial and error early NFL starter pic.twitter.com/Ol8OZbXGeJ

— Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) March 3, 2020

Whether it’s a battle with Dru Samia or Riley Reiff is pushed inside by Ezra Cleveland, Pat Elflein will have to fight just to play on the 2020 Vikings offensive line… but Samia hasn’t proven he belongs yet and the Vikings might decide to cut Reiff (if Elflein can prove capable), which would save the Vikings $8.8 million dollars in cap space.

Time is running out for Elflein to prove himself worthy of a spot on a young and (hopefully) promising offensive line. No matter which way you slice it, this offseason will be the one where Elflein could make or break his career.

Hunter Plante | Minnesota Sports Fan

Redskins angle on something we've talked at length about on @SKORNorth and @KSTP in recent weeks: The #Vikings are a team to watch on the Trent Williams front. John covers Washington for ESPN and in his latest podcast mentions the MN interest. https://t.co/iCzX7Ydnwk

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) April 19, 2020

With all the talk about Odell Beckham Jr these last couple days, we’ve gotten distracted from other players around the league, who the Vikings may or may not be interested in. Trent Williams is a name that has been on the Washington trade block since last season.

Reilly Reiff has been serviceable at LT for the Vikings but his $13 mil cap hit is high, and if you are going to pay that or a bit more, the money would be best served towards a potential franchise-changing player like Trent Williams.

Darren Wolfson (KSTP/SKOR North) says the Vikings are still talking with Washington (tweet above) and he is quote-tweeting John Keim, who covers the Redskins for ESPN, dropped a new podcast today. In that podcast, John mentioned the Vikings as his favorite to land Williams, as well. He dropped a couple of bombs that involve the Vikings and the Washington left tackle. You don’t have to wait long after pressing play. His Trent Williams notes are first on his topic list. (Scroll to the 01:34 mark)

“I know Minnesota was one of the teams definitely interested and I think they probably remain the team to watch. Whether they get him or not, I don’t know.”

The John Keim Report Podcast

If the Vikings could seal the deal for the Washington left tackle, they’d solidify both ends of the OL, while simultaneously making Reiff dispensable. The options would be endless with him. Spielman could approach him for a contract restructure, maybe a move to LG…. or a move to a new team.

Keim says the Redskins would be willing to take picks for the 2021 Draft, if that’s the best offer… the Vikings have to like that because they need their picks next weekend! With the potential loss of Williams, it might even make sense to package Reiff, along with whatever potential picks you ship out…

I talked to someone a week ago and the feeling is, they’ll be just as happy adding picks in next year’s draft, as well as this year’s. So whatever it goes. If they get them for 2021, they’re going to be just ok.

The John Keim Report Podcast

Taking Reiff as part of the trade package would give the Redskins someone proven, if only for one season, to help protect Haskins (or whoever they take on Thursday night). Reiff would be better than nothing, which is what they’d have if they stand-pat and do nothing, because Williams has made it clear that he’s not playing there.

We may be in the middle of a pandemic, but with less than a week remaining before the draft, things are going to start happening soon enough. Chaos will unfold… and I’m here for all of it.

Trent Williams and Kirk Cousins were teammates in Washington from 2012-2017. I think it’s safe to say, Cousins would welcome some trusted protection for his blind side…

Brian Heintz | Minnesota Sports Fan