Don’t Perceive Vikings Offseason “Done” at Offensive Line
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings delivered mini-news on Thursday when general manager Rick Spielman sent a 6th-Round draft pick to the Arizona Cardinals for center Mason Cole.
Onlookers to the Vikings offseason have impatiently waited for offensive line developments. Before Thursday, the franchise had three sure-fire starting offensive linemen (Brian O’Neill, Garrett Bradbury, and Ezra Cleveland) and a couple of other players that can start in a pinch.
Cole was a 3rd-Round talent drafted from the University of Michigan in 2018. His three-year career has transpired in Arizona. Cole will turn 25 years old this weekend. To date, his career with the Cardinals has been mediocre, and he will seek an uptick with the Vikings.
It is unclear if Cole will be molded into a starting guard or if he will fill the role of go-to reservist lineman on the Vikings line.
Those numbers will not blow the evaluator away, but the grades are better than some of Minnesota’s guard play in 2020 – mainly superior to Dru Samia, Dakota Dozier, and Pat Elflein.
The price was not daunting. The Vikings, before Thursday, owned the most draft picks in the NFL heading into April. 10 draft picks now await Spielman one month from now.
Reaction to Cole’s arrival to the Vikings was mixed. Why? Because some folks perceived it as the Vikings move of the offseason regarding offensive line.
But that is likely silly thinking.
We Don’t Know Mason Cole’s Role
This is quite elementary.
Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak might plug cole in at a guard spot, and say, “Yep, you’re the starting guard for the Minnesota Vikings.”
Or – that may not be the plan at all. The team has not yet re-upped with Brett Jones, a player that is usually the swingman of the offensive line. Cole could fill this utility man responsibility in 2021.
However, if, indeed, the plan is to use him at RG and “call it good,” then, yes, the sneers are justified. For a long time, the Vikings have availed half measures on the offensive line. An underwhelming product comes out in the wash. Nearly every season in the last half-decade, Minnesota’s pass protection is lackluster.
It is challenging during The Digital Age to institute a wait-and-see approach because folks want finality on things now, but this one requires forbearance.
Let the depth chart play out before screaming grievances.
Still Need a LT Regardless
Jones became a Viking on Thursday. But if he retired from the NFL altogether and became an ostrich farmer instead, it would not change the fact that the Vikings still need a left tackle.
Spielman released 32-year-old left tackle Riley Reiff earlier this month.
The sentiment seems to be lingering that Ezra Cleveland is more pegged as a guard, although he did play tackle in college. Ergo, the Vikings are shopping for a left tackle. That’s why Eric Fisher rumors are rampant.
Cole adds depth to the offensive line – that is about all that can be ascertained from this trade. He has no bearing on the Vikings need for a left tackle. They are still searching for one – unless Rashod Hill is the quiet answer.
If Hill is not, players such as Russell Okung, Alejandro Villanueva, and the aforementioned Fisher are on the market. And the Vikings have about $8 million to spend via free agency. Too, Spielman could extend the contracts of Harrison Smith and Danielle Hunter to free up even more 2021 money.
Don’t forget about the draft.
10 Draft Picks Upcoming
At the end of April, Minnesota will select a player with the #14 pick – or it will trade back and try to land a 2nd-Round pick. Spielman does not have a 2nd-Rounder because that commodity was sent to Jacksonville for Yannick Ngakoue last year.
Spielman is a 2nd-Round guru, so the likelihood of the Vikings trading back in the 1st Round while accruing extra draft capital is considerable.
In either scenario – standing firm at #14 or finagling backward – the selection of an offensive lineman is realistic. It is the weakest spot on Minnesota’s roster, and the draft is a delectable place to improve a depth chart. For the cash-strapped Vikings, it may be the only venue or last-gasp venue.
But no matter what mock drafts tell readers, Cole-to-Minnesota is probably not Spielman’s offseason mic drop for the offensive line.