Minnesota Vikings hoping for right combination up front

The Minnesota Vikings are using a number of different looks on their offensive line, and are hoping to get the best/most out of some veteran additions…

The Minnesota Vikings were everyone’s pick for a breakout team in 2015, and the expectations have now been set for improvement in 2016. This is a team that has talent up and down the roster, but the offensive line is definitely a question mark.

With the retirement of Phil Loadholt, the Vikings made some adjustments at the right tackle position this offseason, including adding veteran Andre Smith, who was once a Pro Bowl performer for the Cincinnati Bengals.

They also addressed the interior offensive line by adding Alex Boone of the San Francisco 49ers on a four-year, $26.8 million contract. With the entirety of the offensive line taking up nearly a quarter of the team’s overall 2016 cap space, it’s fair to assume improvement from this unit in 2016.

The question is — which players will we see in the starting five?

John Sullivan has established himself as this team’s starting center, and like it or not, Matt Kalil is going to be playing left tackle. Alex Boone and Brandon Fusco will man the guard positions, leaving the right tackle spot open for competition between T.J. Clemmings and the aforementioned Andre Smith.

Clemmings was once a potential first round prospect prior to injury concerns coming out of Pitt in 2015, and he fell to the Vikings in the fourth round where they scooped him up. Head coach Mike Zimmer talked about the way this unit has been practicing, and that early on in camp, things are looking pretty good.

“I saw a big difference yesterday in the way that they practiced, the things they were doing, the techniques we were doing,” Zimmer said. “I thought yesterday they had a really good day. I can’t tell you how they did today yet, but yesterday, they had a really good day. (Matt) Kalil did really good — maybe the best I’ve seen him since I’ve been here. Now, it’s one day, but he did some really good things. (Brandon) Fusco looked better to me yesterday. (Alex) Boone and Kalil, they did some nice things together. Andre Smith is a really good athlete. Yesterday, that’s as good as I’ve seen the offensive line.”

34-year old Joe Berger is also working in some with the first-team offensive line, so there’s definitely a lot of competition up front for Minnesota at this year’s training camp.

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They are banking on some clarity sooner rather than later as protecting Teddy Bridgewater is going to be pivotal to this team’s success in 2016. The addition of Boone on the interior should upgrade the Vikings’ running game to that side of the field, as he’s been a mauler for the Niners in the past.

Boone brings the type of personality and toughness to the Vikings’ offensive line that can create a domino effect of success around him. He’s exactly what this team needed up front to bring a little edge to a unit that needed a spark in a bad way.

Perhaps he can be the catalyst for the offensive line in Minnesota becoming an asset rather than a huge question mark.

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