Vikings New Line

The Minnesota Vikings entered the 2017 offseason with a tremendous need to upgrade the offensive line. There was a similar need last season but it wasn't filled. Last offseason the plan to improve the line was to create position competition through numbers. The hope was that the five players that emerged from the competition would be an improved group from the year before. It was a fine plan in theory as competition should make everyone better. It didn't work out that way. Injuries wiped out some of the competition before it even started. More injuries during the season wiped out any chance of consistency or stability. An offensive line has to work as a single, cohesive unit. Consistency and stability are crucial elements. The Vikings 2016 offensive line was a mess. It was amazing that quarterback Sam Bradford made it out in one piece. The talent on the offensive line had to be upgraded. In the first few days of free agency the Vikings have done just that. They signed tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers to five-year contracts with a total value of $88.75 million. That's a giant investment but it had to be done. On paper, the Vikings 2017 offensive line looks like this.

LT	Riley Reiff
LG	Alex Boone
C	Joe Berger
RG	Jeremiah Sirles
RT	Mike Remmers

In every way imaginable that's an improvement over this group that the Vikings were forced to put on the field for most of last season.

LT	T.J. Clemmings
LG	Alex Boone
C	Joe Berger
RG	Brandon Fusco
RT	Jeremiah Sirles

Oy! That's painful. Here's the new line again. 

LT	Riley Reiff
LG	Alex Boone
C	Joe Berger
RG	Jeremiah Sirles
RT	Mike Remmers

While that might be the starting line on paper right now Reiff, Boone, and Remmers are likely the only names written in ink. Reiff and Remmers most certainly are. Berger and youngster Nick Easton will probably compete in training camp for the center position. Sirles, Berger, and Zac Kerin will probably compete for the right guard spot. All of this speculation is obviously in advance of the draft. While the addition of Reiff and Remmers alleviates some of the offensive line need it doesn't eliminate it. The Vikings still have to look at offensive linemen, particularly interior offensive linemen, early in the draft. Gone are the days when they casually grab a developmental player later in the draft and hope for the best. That casual approach to drafting offensive linemen got them in the disastrous position in which they've found themselves. The Vikings need talent on the offensive line. More often than not that talent is found early in the draft. 

With the addition of two tackles early in free agency the Minnesota Vikings offensive line improved. That's really not saying much. The Vikings have, at worst, an average offensive line now. That might not sound very good but it's actually pretty great. An average offensive line would've put the team in the playoffs last year. An offensive line with average talent can excel if they work well together. Here's hoping that the Vikings new line works really well together.