A New NFC North OT Emerges in Free Agency
Josh Frey
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On Monday morning, the Bears announced that they will not exercise their $9.3 million option on right tackle Bobby Massie. The move saves them over $5 million in cap space while leaving a void at tackle for a Chicago team that has already made a number of cuts as we approach the start of a new league year. With the Vikings struggling along the line over recent years, and a crowded free agent market at the tackle position, is Massie a player Minnesota should be targeting?
Financials
Massie signed a four-year extension with the Bears following the 2019 season. However, after a knee injury forced him to miss the final eight games of the 2020 season, Chicago decided to part ways with the 31-year-old. Injury history is certainly concerning for any NFL player, but the concern escalates dramatically when it comes to a 30-plus year old player. This is especially so at such a physically demanding area as the offensive line. This begs the question, why would the Vikings want him?
There are a couple reasons. For one, as mentioned above, this free agency class is very crowded with offensive tackles. Just a few players at the top include Russsell Okung, Alejandro Villanueva, and PFF’s top graded tackle of the 2020 season, Trent Williams. Money is going to be dished out to these top guys. That said, with the 2021 cap situation, there will be less money to go around for the second-tier of guys. Most will have to take a pay cut, and Massie will probably fall in that group.
Secondly, if the Vikings can get him for a reasonable amount of money, the injury history matters less. Admittedly, I’m a sucker for having veteran players in these depth roles, so that makes this much much more appealing to me than it might to someone else. A depth signing like this doesn’t mean the VIkings can’t draft a top-tier lineman in the draft. It only means they’ll have another veteran in the locker room that can fill snaps when needed.
Skill Level
While injuries are a concern, Massie still absolutely has the skill to play for an NFL team when healthy. In the eight games he played last season, Massie graded a 72.4 on PFF’s scale. This put him as the 36th ranked tackle in the NFL and above Riley Reiff’s 71.4 grade.
Massie’s primary position of right tackle would also allow him to help groom the 25-year-old Brian O’Neill who was one of the few bright spots on Minnesota’s line last season. Knock on wood that this doesn’t happen, but if O’Neill were to miss time with an injury, Massie would be plenty qualified to fill in.
There is still the caveat that Riley Reiff could be cut as well. If that were to happen, again I love a veteran presence, the Vikings’ most seasoned player along the o-line would be Dakota Dozier who has started just 27 games in his six-year career. Other potential starters would be a rookie left tackle or guard, third-year Garrett Bradbury, second-year Ezra Cleveland, and fourth-year Brian O’Neill. Not a ton of experience between that group and, not to mention, very little depth behind it. A move for Massie would provide talented depth along with the veteran presence the Vikings need in 2021 if they are going to make a serious run.
Closing Thoughts
Many people have called for the Vikings to work on their o-line through the draft, including myself. While they absolutely need to do that, some focus should also go on free agency to fill in the rest of their depth chart. Massie could be one of those guys if his price tag doesn’t get too high.
As mentioned, I don’t suspect it will get very high given his age, injury history the past two years, and other players in the free agency market. Not only does the free agent market have some top tier players, but the draft is chock full of tackles that teams will be looking for as starters. This could drive Massie’s price down even further, which only helps the Vikings cause.