Mike Remmers at right guard thus far in Vikings OTAs

Much the same as last offseason, the biggest area of focus for Minnesota Vikings fans this offseason is going to be the offensive line. The team didn’t address the position in the draft in the way many fans may have wanted them to, and there are some other questions that need to be answered as well. We may be starting to get some of the answers during these most recent Vikings’ OTAs in Eagan.

According to Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the current first team offensive line for the Vikings thus far as seen Mike Remmers lined up at right guard. Remmers’ spot on the line has been one of the great mysteries that needed to be solved, as he played much of last season at right tackle. He then moved to left guard following the injury to Nick Easton, and played there for the last regular season game and both Vikings’ playoff contests.

The left guard spot thus far has been handled by a rotation of second-year man Danny Isidora and free agent signee Tom Compton, while Easton has been playing center in place of Pat Elflein (who is still recovering from his fractured ankle but should be ready for Training Camp). The right tackle spot has been held down by Rashod Hill, and the left tackle spot. . .the only spot at this point that doesn’t have any questions. . .is being manned by Riley Reiff.

If we make the assumption that Easton will be taking the left guard spot back when Elflein is healthy enough to resume his center duties, the first team offensive line here in late May appears to be Reiff-Easton-Elflein-Remmers. . .and we don’t know. Yes, Hill has been handling the first team snaps at right tackle thus far, but you’d have to think that the team would really like to see second-round pick Brian O’Neill be able to grab on to that spot and not let it go. Whether or not O’Neill is ready to handle being a starting NFL tackle at this point depends on who you ask.

As I’ve said in this space before, I’ve never been a huge fan of the idea of moving Remmers away from the right tackle spot, as I thought he was performing pretty well there last season. But, with the Vikings’ current offensive line depth chart, the team apparently thinks that kicking him inside is the best option, which simply shifts their biggest question mark on the offensive line one body to the right. There’s still plenty of time to get the problem solved, but that’s where things stand here in the midst of the Vikings’ offseason program.