Free Agent Offensive Lineman Reportedly Meeting with Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are taking miniature measures to improve their oft-maligned offensive line, chiefly because they are low on cap space.
On Wednesday, the team signed guard-center Austin Schlottmann from the Los Angeles Rams, a depth offensive lineman presumably inked to compete for the right guard or center spot — or provide depth behind the eventual starter.
After that, the Vikings are reportedly meeting with another depth-type offensive trenchman named Ryan Bates, who’s played the last three seasons for the Buffalo Bills.
Bates played in all 17 Bills games during 2021, starting on four occasions. All told, he played on 25% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps.
An undrafted free agent in 2019, Bates attended Penn State University. The Bills scooped him after the 2019 NFL Draft as a depth offensive lineman.
Although snaps are minimal for Bates to date, this is Pro Football Focus resume:
- 2019 = 63.5
- 2020 = 67.5
- 2021 = 64.3
The Vikings are in dire need of pass-protection repair, routinely scraping the bottom tier of the NFL for the metric, even though the franchise spends massive dollars on a pocket passer.
Under Mike Zimmer, the Vikings OL scheme prioritized run-blocking while leaving pass protection as a relative afterthought.
It is unclear if the Vikings new leadership, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell, will fix the malady once and for all.
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So far in free agency, Minnesota has shown little interest in high-priced offensive linemen. Some are still available as the free-agency window ticks away. For example, center JC Tretter was cut by the Cleveland Browns earlier this week, and he could help solve Minnesota’s persistent pass-protection problem. Tretter also has ties to Adofo-Mensah, who was employed by the Browns a few months ago.
If Minnesota makes no noteworthy guard or center moves, O’Connell would allow for interior OL competition between men like Garrett Bradbury, Wyatt Davis, Oli Udoh, Schlottmann, or perhaps the aforementioned Bates, if signed.
The NFL Draft, too, could be used to find guards and centers, although the Vikings have many roster needs on defense to address.
Bates turned 25 years old in February.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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