One benefit of the dead period is finding out where those on the outside see the deficiencies in your favorite team. PFF recently released an article where they outlined one more off-season move for every team in the NFL before training camp starts. This move could have been a free agent signing, extension, or trade. It is just one more off-season move to solidify the roster before getting ready for the season in mid-July.
For the Minnesota Vikings, PFF analyst Brad Spielberg decided to address the trenches. More specifically, the offensive guard position. Spielberg wants the Vikings to sign guard Oday Aboushi. Drafted by the New York Jets in 2013, Aboushi has been a journeyman since 2015.
At guard, 2020 second-round pick Ezra Cleveland is entering a contract year and 2022 second-round pick Ed Ingram earned a 44.4 pass-blocking grade as a rookie that ranked 66th out of 71 guards with at least 250 pass-blocking snaps. Aboushi has been a reliable depth piece at either guard spot everywhere he goes, most recently with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s former team in the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Aboushi has three straight seasons earning grades above 65.0, with grades of at least 60.0 as a pass blocker and run blocker each year.
With a relative unknown in Ed Ingram on one side and Ezra Cleveland mostly underachieving since being drafted in 2020, maybe depth in the interior of the offensive line isn’t such a bad thing. On the other hand, there are so many holes that the Vikings can look to fix, whether adding another pass-rusher or more depth in the cornerback room.
Either way, this team is still unfinished. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should be looking for one more move to solidify this roster before veterans report to training camp on July 25th.
