Tackles
T.J. Clemmings
Austin Shepherd
Reid Fragel
Marquis Walker
Guards
Alex Boone
Joe Berger
Center
Nick Easton
Oh, that won't do.
The following players will probably be back as they are set to become exclusive rights/restricted free agents next month. They are each developmental players and the offensive line needs a lot of developing. And they won't cost much to retain. Each saw some playing time last season to varying degrees of proficiency. Hill showed some intriguing left tackle potential in just over a quarter of work in week 17. Beavers was a fourth round pick last spring. That isn't necessarily a good thing.
ERFA
Rashod Hill-T
Zac Kerin-G/C
Willie Beavers-G/T
RFA
Jeremiah Sirles-G/T
Assuming that the above restricted free agents return the Vikings will be entering the 2017 offseason with an offensive line group that would produce a starting line that looks a little something like this.
| LT | Rashod Hill |
| LG | Alex Boone |
| C | Nick Easton |
| RG | Joe Berger |
| RT | T.J. Clemmings |
My goodness. That definitely won't do.
Alex Boone is the only near certain 2017 starter that's currently on the roster. Joe Berger has been a solid starter the last two seasons. He's done so at both guard and center but the line will probably be at it's best if he's a backup at all three interior spots. He also turns 35 in May. It wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see Nick Easton as the starting center. Except for a snap that somehow never moved against the Green Bay Packers, he showed some promise in a couple of starts late last season. I doubt that any Vikings fan wants to see T.J. Clemmings listed as a starter. Ever. He's had a rough two years in the league. With as poorly as he's played it's stunning that he's started 30 of 31 games. He went to Pitt as a defensive lineman and was switched to offensive line as a junior. He's only played on the offensive side of the line for four seasons. Few fans accept that as an excuse anymore. Clemmings has prototypical size, strength, and athleticism but he's slow to react to outside pass rushers way too often. Perhaps he's better suited for guard. Rashod Hill has some intriguing talent. Maybe he can take the Donald Penn-path to the NFL. The path that goes from undrafted to consistent starter to the Pro Bowl. The difference being that Hill does so with the Vikings.
The Vikings also have three offensive tackles set to hit unrestricted free agency. Each started some games last season. Each was supposed to start a lot more than they did but were on injured reserve almost as soon as they stepped on the field.
Matt Kalil
Jake Long
Andre Smith
It might be a mistake to say never when it comes to the NFL but there's about zero chance that Jake Long and Andre Smith are re-signed. The Vikings selected Matt Kalil with the fourth pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. He had a dynamite rookie season but he's been struggling (sometimes mightily) to reach that level of play ever since. Instead of being the franchise left tackle that he was drafted to be he's been serviceable. Simply serviceable would've been amazing compared to what the Vikings got from the left tackle position in 2016. The usually durable Kalil only played in two games due to a hip injury. Now, he's a free agent. It would be a safe move to re-sign him to a reasonable "prove-it" contract simply for security reasons. He's still young at 27 and despite occasional struggles he's a reliable, blind-side blocker. Perhaps playing next to a decent left guard in Boone, Kalil can be more than reliable. That was supposed to be the plan last season but his injury changed those plans after only two games. If the Vikings can find their future left tackle in the draft, Kalil can be a security blanket in case that player isn't ready right away.
Seeing as improving the offensive line is at the very top of their offseason to-do list, the Vikings will be looking at offensive linemen in free agency and the draft.
Free Agency
The players potentially available in free agency will change before the fun begins on March 9. The list of offensive linemen that are currently set to become free agents is topped by these players.
Tackles
Ricky Wagner, Baltimore Ravens
Andrew Whitworth, Cincinnati Bengals
Riley Reiff, Detroit Lions
Menelik Watson, Oakland Raiders
Guards
Kevin Zeitler, Cincinnati Bengals
T.J. Lang, Green Bay Packers
Larry Warford, Detroit Lions
Ronald Leary, Dallas Cowboys
Center
JC Tretter, Green Bay Packers
My Minnesota Vikings free agency wish list looks like this (for now)
1. Ricky Wagner
2. JC Tretter
But, any combination of the above players would be applauded.
Draft
It's way too early in the draft process to focus on much of anything. Prospects currently slotted for the third round could be first rounders by April. And current first rounders could go in the third round. Or later.
Tackles
Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin
Cam Robinson, Alabama
Garrett Bolles, Utah
Roderick Johnson, Florida State
Dion Dawkins, Temple
Taylor Moton, Western Michigan
Antonio Garcia, Troy
With no first round pick it isn't likely that the Vikings get within sight of Ryan Ramczyk, Cam Robinson, or Garrett Bolles. But, with the draft, you never know.
GuardsCenters
Dan Feeney, Indiana
Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky
Pat Elflein, Ohio State
Ethan Pocic, LSU
Dorian Johnson, Pitt
Right now, my Vikings draft wish list starts with Forrest Lamp. He played left tackle at Western Kentucky but most draft "experts" project him as a guard. He sure looked pretty good at left tackle when he was playing against Alabama's flood of NFL-caliber edge rushers. Maybe his position uncertainty drops him into the second round. As we stumble closer to the draft maybe that uncertainty becomes more certain. For now, Forrest Lamp is penciled into the Vikings draft plans. If for no other reason, I simply want him in the Vikings offensive line plans.
The Vikings have no first round pick but they do have five in rounds 2-4. One in the second, two in the third, and two in the fourth. Not too long ago I was thinking that three of those five picks had to be offensive linemen. I've whittled that down to two of the five. I'll take Lamp and Pat Elflein as those two, for now.
My "wish list" additions give the Vikings a new offensive line that looks like this.
| LT | Matt Kalil |
| LG | Alex Boone |
| C | JC Tretter |
| RG | Forrest Lamp |
| RT | Ricky Wagner |
My hope is that Kalil's "security" presence allows Lamp to ease into the NFL at guard without throwing him to the harsh realities of the league at left tackle. Boone was ok in his first season with the Vikings but he was far from an impact player. Maybe that was due to the revolving-door lineup and resulting poor play around him. With that in mind I might be inclined to go with this line.
| LT | Matt Kalil |
| LG | Forrest Lamp |
| C | Nick Easton |
| RG | JC Tretter |
| RT | Ricky Wagner |
This approach could lead to a more permanent 2018 offensive line that looks something like this.
| LT | Forrest Lamp |
| LG | Pat Elflein |
| C | Nick Easton |
| RG | JC Tretter |
| RT | Ricky Wagner |
If Easton can play like the last center from Harvard that the Vikings had, I like this line.
No matter how this offensive line overhaul actually plays out the Vikings have to be aggressive, but smart. Increased competition at each line position was the plan last year. That didn't work out like they had hoped. They have to add talent this year. They have to get younger, stronger, and simply better up front.
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