Courtesy of Vikings Dakota Dozier could be thrust into the starting lineup with Oli Udoh on the COVID-19 reserve list.
The Minnesota Vikings could be without starting guard Oli Udoh, who landed on the COVID-19 reserve list on Monday.
Udoh, who is vaccinated, hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday night’s primetime matchup against the Green Bay Packers. However, if Udoh can’t return in time to make the trip to Green Bay, the next best option lies in Dakota Dozier, who was graded the worst pass-blocking guard in the league last year by Pro Football Focus (PFF).
“Vikings have placed right guard Oli Udoh on the COVID-19/reserve list. Udoh is vaccinated, so he can return sooner than the previous rules would have allowed, but if he’s not back for the Green Bay game, Dakota Dozier would be in line to start,” ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported.
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Vikings Options at Guard Depleted
Dozier serving as the primary backup at guard isn’t a shocker after the sixth-year veteran started all 16 games in 2020.
However, his performance left plenty to be desired on the interior offensive line. Dozier posted a 44.6 position grade, ranking 123rd of 132-graded guards last season. Among 60 guards that played at least half of their respective offense’s snaps in 2020, Dozier posted the worst pass-blocking grade of 36.7.
The Vikings re-signed Dozier last offseason, given his experience working with the team’s architect of the offensive line, Rick Dennison. He didn’t make the initial 53-man roster but was recently signed to the active roster in the wake of a recent injury on the line.
The Vikings brought in several new linemen to compete for a starting guard role, including former Arizona Cardinals center Mason Cole, who suffered a season-ending elbow injury. Cole started seven games this season at both center and right guard.
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1st-Round Talent Goes Missing
Dozier being the presumptive replacement to Udoh has left many in the Vikings community wondering what happened to third-round pick Wyatt Davis.
A two-time All-American guard out of Ohio State, Davis was a projected first-round pick that slid to the Vikings in the third round due to Davis playing his senior season with a knee injury. Davis and first-round left tackle Christian Darrisaw were anticipated to become contributors at some point in the season.
While Darrisaw has battled injury, Davis has yet to see the field on offense or special teams — a disappointment after the Vikings spent the No. 86 overall pick in the 2021 draft. Projected as the fifth-ranked guard in the 2021 draft class by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Davis appeared to have all the tools to make an impact his rookie year.
“Overall, Davis must play under control and improve his snap-to-snap consistency, but his forceful hands, powerful anchor and finishing skills are NFL-ready. He projects as a guard who will compete for immediate snaps,” Brugler wrote.
However, Davis appears unfit for a starting role at guard, lending the starting reigns to Dozier instead.
Darrisaw Piecing Together Promising Future
Darrisaw underwent a second surgery on a groin injury he sustained his senior year and has since battled an ankle injury that forced him to miss three weeks.
But since returning in Week 15, Darrisaw has put together two of his best performances. Against the Chicago Bears, Darrisaw posted a season-high 81.3 offensive grade and 91.6 run-blocking grade.
“Darrisaw put together a solid performance against the Chicago Bears,” PFF’s Sam Monson wrote. “He was excellent as a run blocker, and while he had his occasional struggles with Robert Quinn on the edge, he held his own across 32 pass-blocking snaps. Darrisaw surrendered only two pressures, but they were both sacks, skewing the perception of just how bad his performance was overall. Darrisaw has surrendered 16 pressures (five of them sacks) across 282 pass-blocking snaps this season.”
Coming off an impressive Week 15 performance, Darrisaw posted a season-best 80.8 pass-blocking grade against the Los Angeles Rams, which boast the league’s highest pass-rush win rate of 53%, per ESPN. Darrisaw didn’t allow a sack and gave up only one pressure.
He’s allowed more than two pressures just once in eight starts and is currently the 35th ranked tackle by PFF.