Countdown Questions — #8: Does Minnesota’s iOL Take a Leap Forward?
K. Joudry
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With the full Vikings roster soon to arrive at training camp, PurplePTSD is counting down the top 10 pressing, perplexing, and puzzling questions as the fateful day – July 25th – inches closer. Today’s focus rests on the #8 question:
Does Minnesota’s iOL have what it takes to make a major improvement in 2023?
An awful lot has been said about maintaining continuity up front. And, to be sure, there’s good reason to praise continuity; offensive linemen often rely on clear communication and working directly with a blocking buddy, so being comfortable with one’s fellow offensive linemen is indeed a notable development.
Nevertheless, there’s also reason to be concerned about the current trio – LG Ezra Cleveland, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Ed Ingram – manning the starting spots.
Minnesota’s iOL and the Challenges of the 2023 Season
Garrett Bradbury has been subject to no shortage of criticism.
In my own work, I’ve referred to the former 1st-round selection as a bust. After a trio of seasons, Bradbury had done very little to shed the unflattering descriptor. Year 4, though, was different. Working for Kevin O’Connell and new OL coach Chris Kuper seemed to make life easier for Bradbury, who suddenly took a step forward as a pass blocker.
During his opening three seasons in the NFL, Bradbury piled up 10 holding penalties. During that same timeframe, he allowed 11 sacks. Pressure up the middle was a consistent feature of his time.
Last season, the story changed. His holding penalties dropped down to 0. Similarly, his sacks allowed shrunk; he allowed a pair. His overall pass blocking grade finished at 68.1, easily the best mark of his career.
Beside Bradbury are Cleveland and Ingram, both of whom were taken from the 2nd round of the NFL Draft. Given their position, being a 2nd-rounder is a major investment (in fairness, Cleveland was a college LT who entered the NFL with some uncertainty about where he’d play).
Each player has room to grow.
Last year, Cleveland had his best NFL season, mirroring Bradbury by demonstrating significant improvement working for Coach O’Connell and Coach Kuper. However, he too needs to improve in pass pro, developing a more robust anchor that will allow him to compete with some of the league’s more powerful DTs (rewatch the NYG playoff game to see what I mean).
For the entire OL, Ingram struggled the most. Per PFF, Ingram was responsible for 4 penalties, 11 sacks, 18 hits, and 58 pressures. Clearly, the rookie had some struggles, especially in pass protection. His run-blocking grade – 63.4 – was considerably better than his pass-blocking grade – 44.4. Even getting the pass blocking closer to somewhere in the 60s would be a major boost.
Gaining some more experience at RG should help, especially when we remember that he played LG in college. In fact, the past three seasons in college don’t feature a single snap at RG. He had 411 LG snaps in 2019, 724 LG snaps in 2020, and 806 LG snaps in 2021. He didn’t line up anywhere else. In other words, playing along the right side as a rookie represented the first time he did so in at least three seasons. Welcome to the NFL, indeed.
A sophomore leap rather than a sophomore slump would do wonders for the Vikings’ offense.
Week 1 features a true test since Vita Vea and Shaquil Barrett will be coming to town. The Vikings’ OL is going to have its hands full.
Editor’s Note: The “Countdown Questions” series is a 10-day look at some of the most important questions facing the Minnesota Vikings as training camp nears. Be sure to keep swinging by to check out the latest installment and to read what has already been covered: #10 & #9.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
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