Left tackle Riley Reiff was decent for the Vikings last year, but that doesn’t mean the team should keep him in the same position.
Reiff’s versatility could make him a possible trade asset, but it also makes it so that the Vikings can draft a tackle and move Reiff to guard. And there are some compelling reasons for why Minnesota should do that.
“I think the tackles are pretty good. I think the guards maybe dropped off a little bit from last year,” Zimmer told reporters at the NFL Combine. “We’re just starting to process. We’re going to try and figure out what’s the best fit for us.”
If the team thinks Reiff couldn’t be a guard, it might be time for a change. The Vikings get $8.8 million in cap savings if they cut or trade Reiff, creating $4.4 million in dead money with the move.
With just over $12 million in cap space, per Over The Cap, the team could use some more money to sign more talent in free agency, in what is a year where Minnesota has to replace some players at key positions.
One of those positions is guard. Josh Kline was released by the Vikings this offseason, leaving an opening at a starting guard spot. It might be tempting to find a new player in the offseason for that position, but I don’t feel comfortable with the vast majority of guards in the draft. This means that Minnesota’s solution to the Kline problem could be Reiff.
I think the best option Minnesota has is moving Reiff to guard and drafting a tackle. If Zimmer and the Vikings find a tackle they like, that player could come in and start right away. An offensive line comprised of a rookie left tackle who was drafted in the first round, alongside the starting linemen from 2019 besides Kline, makes it so that the position group could actually get better than it was in 2019. If Minnesota drafts a tackle early, I could see them making the call to switch Reiff.