Pain and misery could be in store for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins if ESPN’s recent offensive line prediction comes true.
When projecting the best and worst units, the analytics team has the Vikings ranking in the bottom-half of all NFL teams. Oh, but things get worse when you start delving into the specifics, like pass-blocking.
The team is projected to rank 31st in the league in pass-block win rates, which is the second-worst behind the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ouch.
The Vikings clearly have a problem with their interior blocking. Center Garrett Bradbury’s struggles haven’t magically gone away, even with first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell taking over the reins of the offense. And there’s still some uncertainty at the troubled right guard position. Jesse Davis appears to be in the lead right now, but that isn’t a spot the Vikings are necessarily confident about heading into the 2022 season.
It doesn’t help matters that the team will be facing some ferocious defensive fronts in the first four weeks as well, including the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints.
The Vikings have worked veteran Chris Reed in at both center and right guard. And there’s always the option to sign another veteran player. Free agent JC Tretter has been mentioned by Vikings fans so many times that it’s become a meme at this point.
But really, they could use the help.
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