Vikings 2020 season review: Offensive line
This is a Vikings offensive line that experienced the same issues with a slightly different personnel.
Minnesota cut Josh Klein in the offseason. Klein was the starting right guard from 2019. That led to the Vikings moving Pat Elflein to right guard and putting Dakota Dozier into the left guard spot.
After they waived Elflein, the Vikings mostly went with Ezra Cleveland at right guard and Dozier at left, receiving mixed results in the process.
Minnesota has some upside for its offensive line. I honestly think the Vikings aren’t incredibly far off from having a decent unit. Here is the review for 2020:
The good
Syndication: Argus Leader
Ezra Cleveland showed flashes of promise. He seemed like the best pass protection option on the interior of the offensive line. Granted, that's a low bar to clear. Riley Reiff had a resurgent year. Reiff ended with a PFF grade of 71.4. Brian O'Neill wasn't as good as he has been in the past, but he still finished with a PFF grade of 77.5. The Vikings are good on the exterior of the offensive line and at least have potential on the interior. The run blocking looked pretty good at times as well.
The bad
Photo: AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski
The Vikings still had their share of problems. Minnesota was ranked 26th for its offensive line by PFF. From the Colts to the Buccaneers games, the Vikings interior was dominated at times and it showed in the production of the offense. Dozier earned a PFF grade of 44.6. Garrett Bradbury made great strides from his rookie year, but still finished with a PFF grade of 61.4. Despite showing promise, Cleveland finished with a PFF grade of 66.2. The Vikings have a choice of continuing to play him out of position or move him to left tackle. The Vikings may not be able to keep Reiff around, due to his contract situation so it's a possibility that the Minnesota offensive line could take a big step back. The Vikings need a new left guard. They also need to keep Reiff around. So there's potential, but there's also a scenario where the offensive line could actually regress. Only 2021 will tell.
