Where Does PFF Rank Vikings' Offensive and Defensive Lines?
The old saying is that football games are won in the trenches. You don't need to tell longtime Vikings fans how important that element of the game is; they watched dominant defensive lines shift outcomes for many decades, then saw numerous talented offenses held back by mediocre offensive line play in recent years.
As the 2023 season approaches, let's check in on where Pro Football Focus ranked the Vikings' offensive and defensive lines relative to the other 31 teams in the NFL.
Offensive line: No. 15
The Vikings aren’t projected to change any of their five starters, but therein lies the problem. Ed Ingram at right guard and Garrett Bradbury at center are players who could be considered weak links and in need of an upgrade. Ingram at least has the upside of a Year 2 jump.
Bradbury had his best season in the new system in 2022 but still earned just a 63.8 PFF pass-blocking grade and allowed 29 pressures — a lot for a center.
It was a breakout season for left tackle Christian Darrisaw. He allowed 20 pressures all season and will hopefully avoid the rapid-succession concussions he suffered this year.
This feels rather fair. The Vikings have one of the best tackle duos in the league with Christian Darrisaw on the left side and Brian O'Neill on the right, but the pass protection of their interior trio is still a significant question mark. Although Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury, and Ed Ingram all are talented athletes and good run blockers, they're all prone to allowing the interior pressure that affects Kirk Cousins so significantly.
If Cleveland takes a minor step forward in that area in a contract year, Bradbury repeats his 2022 performance, and Ingram makes a year two leap, the Vikings could easily have a top-ten OL because of their dominance at tackle. If that doesn't happen, a ranking in the middle of the pack will be spot on.
Defensive line: No. 17
Minnesota’s defensive line has a lot of new and interesting pieces, but it is yet to be seen whether its best player, edge defender Danielle Hunter, will still be on the team in September.
We have highlighted interior defender Khyiris Tonga as a potential breakout candidate for the Vikings after he graded among the top 15 players at his position in his first season in Minnesota. Free-agent addition Marcus Davenport was also a solid and consistent edge defender in New Orleans, ranking in the top 20 at his position in three of the last four seasons.
Truthfully, I was expecting the Vikings to be even lower on this list after losing Dalvin Tomlinson and Za'Darius Smith. Of course, if Danielle Hunter ends up being traded, Minnesota's D-line will plummet towards the bottom of the league. If he's extended and remains with the Vikings, you can talk yourself into this unit ranking in the top half of the league.
Harrison Phillips is a quality nose tackle. Davenport has been a PFF darling in his career, even as his sack totals have fluctuated. Tonga is another PFF favorite after his surprising 2022 campaign. There's decent depth too, with players like Dean Lowry, Patrick Jones II, Jonathan Bullard, and rookies Jaquelin Roy and Andre Carter II. It's going to be interesting to see what this unit looks like in the fall.
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