ClutchPoints
The Minnesota Vikings made great strides last year, doubling their win total from the 7 games the team won in the 2023 season to the 14 that they recorded in 2024. The Vikings could have been the No. 1 team in the NFC playoff structure if they had beaten the Detroit Lions in the regular-season finale, but that game turned out to be a disastrous loss.
In that game, quarterback Sam Darnold struggled with his accuracy. Much of that may have been the pressure of the moment, but the other part was an offensive line that failed to protect him. Specifically, the Vikings interior offensive linemen were basically overrun by the Detroit pass rush, and Darnold did not have the kind of time he had through the majority of the season when he led the team on winning streaks of 5 and 9 games.
The offensive line’s weakness became even more pronounced the following week on the road against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Darnold was on the run throughout the game, and the Rams sacked him 9 times for 82 yards in losses.
Those 2 games were not flukes. When the Vikings came up against the toughest opponents as the season was on the line, their interior linemen fell short of expectations.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell know the Vikings have to get better in this area. The team was quite successful in free agency a year ago when they picked up linebackers Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel along with edge rusher Jonathan Greenard.
The Vikings have plenty of cap room at this point — nearly $60 million — and they can make a bold attempt to fix this issue March 12, the official start of the new league year.
There is no reason this team can’t go after two of the best guards who are scheduled to become free agents. Trey Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs is probably the best guard available and Kevin Zeitler of the Detroit Lions is not far behind.
The Vikings employed Dalton Risner, Ed Ingram and Blake Brandel at the guard spots last season. Center Garrett Bradbury may be under the gun as well. He seems to get the job done when the Vikings are playing average teams, but he struggles against top competition.
Smith is a 25-year-old stalwart who should be outstanding at his position for the foreseeable future. The 6-6, 321-pound Smith made the Pro Bowl for the first time last season, his 4th year in the NFL. The former Tennessee Volunteer plays with a mean streak that the other Vikings interior linemen are missing.
Zeitler is a 34-year-old solid pro who has the size and strength to dominate. Zeitler checks in at 6-4 and 340 pounds, and he played a key role in the outstanding offensive year that the Lions had in 2024.
Signing Smith or Zeitler...
