Give Some Credit to The Vikings OL Coach
K. Joudry
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One of the first things Kevin O’Connell did after being named head coach was overhaul the coaching staff. Mike Pettine is now the assistant head coach, Wes Phillips came over to be the OC, and Ed Donatell is a veteran DC. One of the less discussed hires, perhaps, was the decision to bring in Chris Kuper as the Vikings OL coach.
According to the team’s website, Kuper was an NFL player for eight seasons. More recently, he worked with the Broncos as an assistant offensive line coach. The description goes on to list some of the specific accomplishments he helped bring to fruition:
Kuper worked under long-time offensive line coach Mike Munchak while in Denver, helping the Broncos offensive line give their quarterbacks the fourth-most time to throw (2.91 seconds) in the NFL, despite being blitzed on 26.9% of their dropbacks, the 13th-most in the NFL in 2021. The Broncos offensive line also blocked for two 900-plus yard rushers, RBs Melvin Gordon III (918) and Javonte Williams (903), the first running back duo since Houston Texans RBs Arian Foster (1,224) and Ben Tate (942) in 2011 to accomplish this feat.
In 2020, Kuper coached Associated Press Second-Team All-Pro T Garett Bolles and assisted the Broncos offensive line in being ranked 13th in the NFL in sacks allowed (32). Kuper coached rookie third-round (83rd overall) C Lloyd Cushenberry III in 2020, one of two rookies (T Tristian Wirfs, Tampa Bay) in the NFL to play 100% of their team’s offensive snaps.
The final sentence caught my eye. Kuper has some experience working with young offensive linemen. Minnesota has a lot of youth up front. Perhaps Kuper is capable of developing Christian Darrisaw, Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury, Oli Udoh, Blake Brandel, Ed Ingram, Vederian Lowe, and Wyatt Davis, offensive linemen who are all playing on their rookie deals.
We’ve seen plenty of positive reports for both Darrisaw and Ingram this offseason. Darrisaw had a strong rookie season, bouncing back from an early injury to solidify himself as the team’s starting left tackle. Kuper’s task is to help Darrisaw develop into one of the league’s preeminent left tackles.
Meanwhile, Chris Kuper has been working with Ingram, who played left guard before joining the Vikings. He has made the transition to right guard, requiring the rookie to adjust his footwork. So far, things have gone really well. He now looks like the favorite to begin the year alongside O’Neill on the right side.
On Saturday, the Vikings will get the chance to take on a talented 49ers front seven. Ideally, we’ll see the young players keep taking steps forward. If the offensive line can be above average, Minnesota’s offense has the potential to be very dangerous in 2022, and Kuper would likely deserve a lot of credit.
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