The Vikings returned four starters on the offensive line. The one spot without a returning starter is guard.
With incumbent starter Pat Elflein moving over to the right side, the competition will most likely be for the left guard spot.
During training camp, Dakota Dozier and Aviante Collins have been sharing first-team reps. The two recently spoke with reporters about the pursuit of a starting job.
“It’s definitely a lot more pressure,” Collins said, via Vikings.com. “I would say that playing a lot of positions, they know they can count on me doing multiple things. But also now, ‘Hey, we want you to focus solely on this one thing.’ So you have to kind of go through things with a fine comb and make sure everything is down to the little t and is perfect. So the stakes are definitely a lot higher, and I’m just trying to live up to those things for the coaches.”
According to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, Dozier appeared to be the leading candidate to take the left guard spot just under a week ago.
“Being versatile has definitely helped me out throughout my career, but being able to focus on one spot is something that any player wants the opportunity to do,” Dozier said, via Vikings.com. “So I’m super excited to have this opportunity.”
