Tag: Chris Reed

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell reiterates competition at center

Bradbury struggling to lock down the starting center job.

Going into the draft cycle, there was a lot of discussion about the center position.

After drafting Garrett Bradbury at 18th overall in the 2019 NFL draft, the Vikings thought they had the center position solved. He was viewed as “pro ready” and a perfect fit for the wide zone scheme.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t come to fruition. Bradbury has struggled, especially against the pass. Per Pro Football Focus, Bradbury has had multiple grades with a pass-blocking grade of zero and hasn’t finished in the top-25 in PFF grade at the center position.

During a press conference on Saturday, head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to the media and re-iterated that there is still a center competition.

Free agent signees Chris Reed and Austin Schlottmann have both been taking snaps at center with second-team reps. After reports of Bradbury getting forklifted multiple times in drills, these comments are not a good sign.

Seeing Reed taking those snaps at center seems to be a direct result of Bradbury’s struggles.

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ESPN predicts horrendous pass-blocking rank for Vikings offensive line

This prediction would be the Vikings’ worst nightmare.

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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Battle for starting Vikings right guard position has a frontrunner

After the first week of training camp, the offensive line picture is already coming together.

Right guard is a position that the Minnesota Vikings have struggled like crazy to fill since Joe Berger left the team after 2016. From Tom Compton to Mike Remmers and Dakota Dozier, it has been a turnstile in more ways than one.

During training camp this year, the Vikings are having another battle for the starting right guard position. After converted tackle Oli Udoh won the job out of training camp last season, he comes into this year having to battle for that same position.

As we head into the second week of camp, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips alluded to one player already having a leg-up on the competition.

This is quite the compliment for Davis, as he is currently competing with Udoh, former Indianapolis Colt Chris Reed and last year’s third-round draft pick Wyatt Davis.

Having come over from the Miami Dolphins, Davis has starting experience all across the offensive line. His best season as a pass blocker, which the Vikings desperately need on the line, came in 2018 as right guard with a Pro Football Focus grade of 69.3.

The competition is far from over, but Davis is in the driver’s seat for the starting position.

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Highlights and notes from Day 1 of minicamp

The last major spring practices are underway

After closing the curtains on organized team activities, the Minnesota Vikings finish things off with mandatory minicamp this week.

They kick-started the festivities on Tuesday with the team gathering on the practice field for another week of work. This is the time where we get the best glimpse of where things stand ahead of training camp later this summer.

The pads haven’t come on yet. So these practices are still more about drilling positioning and technique. But it doesn’t mean things aren’t getting competitive out there between the offense and defense, along with the ongoing position battles on the roster.

Here are some notes and highlights from Day 1.

Highlights and notes from Vikings final week of OTAs

The Vikings wrap up OTAs

The Minnesota Vikings closed out the final stretch of organized team activities last week with confidence and some concerns.

On one hand, the team is excited about the potential they have to turn things around immediately.

They have responded well to Kevin O’Connell as the head coach, and overall, there seems to be a much more loose and exciting vibe from the team, as opposed to how they looked towards the end of the Mike Zimmer era.

However, on the other hand, they’re being reminded of how quickly things can change on the football field. It takes more than talent to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Injuries have put countless championship teams in the grave before they even started.

Here are some observations as the Vikings wrapped up OTAs.

Highlights and notes from first week of Vikings OTAs

Week 1 of OTAs is in the books

The Minnesota Vikings put on their shorts and helmets before hitting the field for the first week of organized team activities this week.

Players were participating in a variety of drills and workouts, which will continue over the next couple of weeks ahead of mandatory minicamp in June.

There have been plenty of fun stories coming out of the early practices, including running back Dalvin Cook calling linebacker Za’Darius Smith “crazy” for his work ethic and the way he pushes his teammates. Even Smith himself admitted coach Kevin O’Connell had to tell him to take it down a notch, during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.

The regime change in Minnesota has seemingly brought a new energy to the team as they work to end a three-year playoff drought this season. Here are some of the highlights and notes from the first week of OTAs.

Colts free agent G Chris Reed to sign with Vikings

Colts free agent G Chris Reed is signing with the Vikings.

Indianapolis Colts free agent guard Chris Reed is expected to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.

Reed played a vital role as a depth piece at the guard positions for the Colts during the 2021 season. This became especially true when All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson went down with an injury.

Reed was one of Chris Ballard’s best signings from the 2021 offseason and now the Colts will have to rebuild their depth on the interior. With Mark Glowinski heading to the New York Giants, this means Danny Pinter will get a shot at the starting right guard role.

The Colts are still among the leaders in salary-cap space so they can add players in free agency if they want and the departure of Reed means they need to add some depth to the offensive line.

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OG Chris Reed returns to Minnesota on two-year deal with Vikings

Vikings add another versatile offensive lineman to their arsenal.

The Minnesota Vikings are adding another versatile offensive lineman to help with their interior protection and blocking problems up front. Former Minnesota State University standout Chris Reed is coming home after agreeing to a deal with the team.

The Vikings confirmed the deal on social media with the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson reporting it being a two-year contract.

Reed has started in 29 of a possible 61 games in the NFL. He’ll be another body in training camp competing for snaps at the troubled right guard position, but he also has experience playing at left guard as well.

There’s the potential for him to slot into center, too, and possibly spell or perhaps even push Garrett Bradbury at training camp.

This signing comes after the Vikings have already added Jesse Davis and Austin Schlottmann.

Reed, who played for the Indianapolis Colts last season, is a former teammate of Vikings wideout Adam Thielen in college. After the signing, Thielen officially welcomed his former teammate back to Minnesota in a social media post.

The Vikings are hoping to improve along the offensive front after having the 23rd-ranked unit in the league in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus.

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6 Colts whose stock rose in 22-16 win over Cardinals

These Colts rose their stock in the 22-16 win over the Cardinals.

With the Indianapolis Colts (9-6) going into State Farm Stadium and coming out with a 22-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals (10-5), we saw several players increase their stock with the team.

Some of it was due to simply showing out during a game that was destined to be sloppy from the start. Others had to step into a bigger role because of recent COVID-19 issues. Regardless, we saw several players increase their stock on Saturday night.

Here are six Colts whose stock rose from the Week 16 win:

What will Colts’ starting OL look like vs. Cardinals?

Amid COVID-19 issues, here is what the starting OL for the Colts will look like against the Cardinals.

The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) have had to do some late shuffling to their offensive line ahead of Saturday night’s game against the Arizona Cardinals (10-4) due to some COVID-19 issues.

It was announced Friday that Pro Bowl left guard Quenton Nelson was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. It isn’t clear if this is a positive test or a close contact. If Nelson is unvaccinated, he would miss at least 10 days if he tested positive or five days if he’s a close contact.

The Colts are also going to be without right guard Mark Glowinski due to a positive COVID-19 test and center Ryan Kelly due to a personal matter.

As for who the Colts will replace those three interior linemen with, it appears we have an answer. Larra Overton reported that it will consist of Chris Reed and Matt Pryor at the two guard spots.

Here’s a quick look at what the starting offensive line for the Colts will look like amid their COVID-19 issues: