The 2023 Vikings Offense Could Accomplish Something that They Haven’t Done in a Decade
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings offense was one of the top-10 scoring units in the league last season, averaging just under 25 points per game. Of course, a lot of credit for that has to go towards Kevin O’Connell’s offensive scheme as well as the stars such as Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson.
However, an underrated portion of that offense came from a group that has been under scrutiny in Minnesota for years: the offensive line. Now, the 2023 Vikings offense has a chance to accomplish something that they haven’t done in a decade because of that group. That accomplishment would be having the same five players on the o-line play the majority of the team’s snaps in back-to-back seasons.
Back in 2012, the Vikings had Matt Kalil, Phil Loadholt, and John Sullivan play 100% of the offensive snaps at offensive tackle and center, and then Brandon Fusco and Charlie Johnson largely held down the fort at the guard spots.
Then, in 2013, they ran it back with largely the same story. Kalil played every snap at left tackle while Fusco, Johnson, Loadholt, and Sullivan filled out the rest of the offensive line for the majority of the season. They could have accomplished the feat for a third consecutive year, but Fusco played only three games in 2014.
Since those days, the Vikings have largely been a rotating door across the offensive line, particularly at the guard spots. Early in the offseason, it seemed like the Vikings might have made another change to the group with Garrett Bradbury entering free agency.
Minnesota opted not to exercise his fifth-year option for 2023, allowing his contract to end at the end of the 2022 season. After suffering a debilitating back injury that impacted his ability to play down the stretch of the Vikings playoff run, there was question as to whether they would opt to bring him back after a rather disappointing start to his career.
However, Bradbury will be back in a purple jersey after inking a three-year contract worth a total of $15.75 million and just $1.08 million guaranteed in 2023. As long as he is fully healthy, this is a bargain of a contract for the Vikings.
It also greatly increases the chance that Minnesota will indeed start the exact same offensive line that they rolled out for most of the 2022 season. Brian O’Neill seems to be progressing nicely from his own injury (a partially torn Achilles suffered in Week 17) and could be back by the time training camp rolls around. This would ensure that Minnesota’s stalwart tackle duo will once again be protecting Kirk Cousins right out of the gate.
We also saw some great improvements from Ezra Cleveland in 2022, and unless something disastrous were to happen, he should maintain his starting spot at left guard for a third consecutive year.
The biggest question mark right now is the position that has seen changes in every year of Kirk Cousins tenure in Minnesota: right guard. The Vikings used a second-round pick in 2022 on Ed Ingram, which they acquired in a trade down from No. 34 with the Green Bay Packers.
Ingram started all 17 games in 2022, but he certainly had his fair share of struggles, particularly in pass protection. That being said, the Vikings have done very little to bring in more competition for that right guard spot other than the same depth pieces that they had during the 2022 season.
Now, though, the Vikings have some extra cap space following the Za’Darius Smith trade. As a result, they could get back into the free agency market this summer, adding additional veterans to compete with the younger players in training camp. Perhaps guard could be back on the list of priorities as a result.
Regardless, the point stands that this is the most continuity that Minnesota has seen on the offensive line in years. Ingram should continue to progress now that he has gotten a full offseason in with the unit, and the rest of the group seems like they should play as advertised once again in 2023.
If the Vikings have finally solved the puzzle of offensive line stability, that will go a long ways towards helping them not only remain competitive in 2023, but also developing a young QB to eventually take over the starting job in the years to come.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.