After last year’s eventful offseason in Minnesota, the Vikings took a more low-key approach in 2019, which is probably for the best. The team lost a number of veterans in free agency and did not make very many acquisitions. However, the moves the Vikings did make could fix the glaring issue that prevented this team from making the playoffs in 2018: The offensive line.
Minnesota used a first-round pick on C Garrett Bradbury and signed veteran guard Josh Kline in hopes of repairing one of the worst lines in all of football. Those pickups won’t make headlines, but they could propel the Vikings back into the playoffs.
Notable draft picks: C Garrett Bradbury, TE Irv Smith, G Dru Samia
Key acquisitions/re-signings: G Josh Kline, DT Shamar Stephen, LB Anthony Barr*
Losses: DT Sheldon Richardson, C Nick Easton, RB Latavius Murray, S Andrew Sendejo, OT Mike Remmers, G Tom Compton, DT Tom Johnson
*Re-signed with team
Drafting Bradbury, an athletic center out of North Carolina State, fills a hole at center and allows the team to kick 2017 third-round pick Pat Elflein over to left guard. Kline will step in at right guard but could face some competition from fourth-round rookie Dru Samia. That’s a solid interior line to go along with the perfectly average Riley Reiff at left tackle and impressive second-year RT Brian O’Neill, who didn’t allow a single sack during his rookie season. Kirk Cousins should have plenty of time in the pocket in 2019, which was not the case a season ago. That should help him play more like a quarterback worth $84 million guaranteed.
On the other side of the ball, the Vikings didn’t even try to replace the departing Sheldon Richardson, who was more of a luxury for this defense, but they did manage to retain Anthony Barr after he flirted with the Jets. While the front office may have spent too much on Barr, who can be a liability in coverage, he is a major piece in Mike Zimmer’s blitz packages that have terrorized opposing offensive lines for years. The team is hoping a return to form for Pro Bowl CB Xavier Rhodes and Mike Hughes’ recovery from an ACL injury that cut his promising rookie season short will push this unit back to the top of the league rankings.
The 2018 season may have been a disappointment, but the Vikings did not need to do anything drastic this offseason to bounce back. Their restraint will pay off if they catch a few more breaks in 2019.
