Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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Regular-Season Statistics
Riley Reiff
1,002 offensive snaps (92.6 percent); started 15 games
Dakota Dozier
1,082 offensive snaps (100 percent); started all 16 games
Garrett Bradbury
1,082 offensive snaps (100 percent); started all 16 games
Ezra Cleveland
621 offensive snaps (57.4 percent); started nine games
Brian O'Neill
1,069 offensive snaps (98.8 percent); started all 16 games
272 offensive snaps (25.1 percent); started four games
Brett Jones
137 offensive snaps (12.7 percent); started two games
Rashod Hill
120 offensive snaps (11.1 percent); started one game
Pat Elflein
52 offensive snaps (4.8 percent); started one game
Olisaemeka Udoh
2 offensive snaps (0.18 percent); no starts
Kyle Hinton
No offensive snaps; spent all but one game on practice squad
Aviante Collins
No offensive snaps; spent entire season on practice squad
Blake Brandel
No offensive snaps; spent entire season on practice squad
The highest high
1. Minnesota's offensive performance at home against Detroit in Week 9 was one of the best of the season.
The offensive line played a key role in that, allowing just one sack of Cousins, which tied for a season low. (Minnesota had four games in which it allowed one sack).
The unit was also a factor in the run game, as the Vikings rushed for a season-high 275 yards against the Lions.
Cook led the way with a career-best 206 yards on just 22 attempts (9.36 yards per carry) and included a 70-yard score among his two touchdowns. Alexander Mattison added 69 yards on 12 attempts (5.75 yards per carry).
The lowest low
1. The Vikings were sitting at 6-6 and in the NFC's final Wild Card spot when they traveled to Tampa Bay for a Week 14 road game.
But in a battle of playoff hopefuls, the Vikings offensive line couldn't withstand the pressure from a blitz-happy Buccaneers team that sacked Cousins six times.
That was the most sacks allowed in a game by the Vikings in 2020 and is tied for the most sacks on Cousins in a game during his three seasons with the Vikings.
2 pressing questions for 2021
1. Where does Ezra Cleveland play in his second season?
Cleveland was an all-conference left tackle at Boise State before the Vikings tabbed him with the 58th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
But the Vikings worked primarily with him at guard. He opened training camp at left guard with the second team before eventually starting nine games at right guard.
Reiff turned in one of his best pro seasons and is under contract for 2021, but there has been some speculation as to whether he returns (for what it's worth, there was considerable speculation in the media last year about Reiff being with the Vikings in 2020). When Reiff was unavailable for the finale, Minnesota turned to Hill. If Reiff isn't back, will the Vikings shift Cleveland to left tackle? Or do they keep him at right guard, where he was sandwiched between a pair of other young linemen in 2020.
2. Will the Vikings keep adding early-round linemen?
The Vikings have certainly focused on offensive linemen in the past few drafts, taking one in each of the first two rounds in each of the past three seasons.
O'Neill (2018) and Cleveland (2020) were second-rounders, and Bradbury was a first-rounder in 2019. That strategy has allowed Minnesota to have a trio of building blocks along the line for the foreseeable future.
Will they do it again? That depends on the question above with left tackle, while the Vikings could also look to add depth at left guard, too.
The trio of O'Neill, Cleveland and Bradbury — plus another high draft pick — could set up the Vikings well both in 2021 and down the line.
One final thing to keep in mind is that O'Neill is entering the final season of his rookie contract, which means a potential contract extension could be on the horizon.
"Those guys battled their rear ends off all year. I think you're always going to look to improve that area. There's no area that we don't want to look to improve. I thought Riley Reiff had a heck of a year. O'Neill has a chance to be an extremely really good player. Bradbury is a good player. He was dinged up a little bit this season, but he's a tough kid, never says anything, doesn't want to miss any time, and I think Cleveland has a chance to be a good player and Dakota battled his rear end off. I do like that group. The continuity that they have, the communications that they have. I like that group, but we'll have to see, and if we can improve, we'll improve."
— Zimmer on the overall play of the offensive line
"Ezra's awesome. He definitely started coming out of his shell toward the end of the season. He definitely kind of had the rookie mindset of, 'I'm going to put my head down, do what I need to.' Once he started to get some starts under his belt, getting more comfortable, he definitely came out of his shell. Ezra's a great add to the room on the field and off the field. Everyone likes him. And he's gotten a lot better. He's going to be a really good player in this league and I'm excited. I don't know where he's going to play, but I'm excited I'm in the room with him, for sure."
— Bradbury on Cleveland's potential going forward
"It's not something that I think about. I have an agent who will handle that whenever the time comes and all that stuff will take care of itself. Play your [butt] off, and everything else will take care of itself. I'm … excited about the group we have. Whatever comes."
— O'Neill on a possible contract extension