Vikings Will Up the Offensive Line Competition, Add a Former Bills OT
According to The NFL Network‘s Mike Garafolo, the Vikings will up the offensive line depth by bringing David Quessenberry to town.
Take a peak at what Garafolo had to say: “#Vikings are signing OT David Quessenberry to the active roster pending a physical, source says. Quessenberry was released by the #Bills yesterday.” Retaining just 8 offensive linemen on the 53-man roster was a reality that was always likely to change. In Quessenberry, the Vikings add a veteran who has seen a ton over his career.
Vikings Will Up the Offensive Line Depth
Originally, Quessenberry got into the NFL as a 6th-round selection back in 2013. The Houston Texans got him 176th overall after his career at San Jose State (the same college where Josh Oliver played).
Since 2013, the offensive tackle has bounced around the league a bit. His initial seasons took place in Houston, being employed by the Texans from 2013-17. The next stop was in Tennessee where Quessenberry put in work from 2018-21. Most recently, the OT has been doing his part to help Josh Allen’s Bills. He played a single season in Buffalo but didn’t make their roster in 2023.
Indeed, his recent release meant he was available and Minnesota has taken advantage.
The Vikings are being led by Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill at offensive tackle. When healthy, the pair are legitimately at the top of the NFL for OT tandems. The concern is merely that the LT has battled concussions and the RT is coming off an Achilles tear.
The main backups are Oli Udoh and Blake Brandel, both of whom have some position flexibility. Each have several starts in their NFL careers and each are likely to see snaps before 2023 is done. Quessenberry will join the crew, though, as simply one more versatile lineman.
In 2022, the veteran picked up 122 snaps at left tackle, 38 at right guard, and 236 at right tackle. PFF gave him a 59.3 grade for his troubles, with his pass blocking (62.3) doing better than his run blocking (53.7). The o-lineman got dinged for committing a pair of penalties while allowing 4 sacks, 2 QB hits, and 18 pressures.
Last season, David Quessenberry carried a $1.75 million cap charge. Since entering the NFL, that’s easily the highest cap hit he has had in a single season. In other words, the Vikings are unlikely to be breaking the bank to secure his services.
Adding him means the team will need to move on from someone, so keep an eye on what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has up his sleeve.
Minnesota’s season begins on September 10th when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit U.S. Bank Stadium.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
