Getty Wide receiver Justin Jefferson (left) of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with offensive tackle Brian O'Neill (right) after scoring a touchdown during an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills in November 2022.
Wildcard weekend is less than two weeks away and the Minnesota Vikings offensive line is bruised and battered.
Reinforcements will be necessary if the team hopes to make any noise this postseason, but whether the Vikings can find the appropriate level of talent in time is a pressing question. One option that’s a little out there, but still feasible, is to reach out to the recently retired Andrew Whitworth.
The two-time All-Pro won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams last season before hanging up his cleats and joining the NFL Network as a broadcast analyst.
“I’ve said this since the day I retired, I’ll never say never,” Whitworth said in late December during an appearance on The Season with Peter Schrager podcast. “There’s always a chance.”
His comments came in the context of a possible reunion with the Cincinnati Bengals after they lost right tackle La’el Collins to a torn ACL and MCL in Week 16 against the New England Patriots. Whitworth, now 41 years old, played his first 11 seasons with the Bengals and put up his first All-Pro campaign there. Three of his four Pro Bowl appearances also came in Cincinnati.
While Whitworth doesn’t have any playing history with the Vikings, the team’s need and its position as a contender and guaranteed top-3 seed in the NFC renders Minnesota a viable destination for a potential return, should Whitworth be interested in one. There is also the connection with Minnesota’s new head coach, which Tyler Forness of Vikings Wire noted when he urged the team to at least inquire as to Whitworth’s willingness and availability for a return/playoff run.
“Whitworth played for head coach Kevin O’Connell when he was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in both 2020 and 2021, and was tremendous in both seasons,” Forness wrote on Tuesday, January 3. “It’s not the most likely scenario to bring in Whitworth, but it is something that the front office needs to inquire on.”
Vikings Lose Brian O’Neill For Season, Garrett Bradbury Still Listed as Doubtful
GettyRT Brian O’Neill of the Minnesota Vikings looks on against the San Francisco 49ers during a preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 20, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Were he to come into the fold, Whitworth would replace Pro-Bowl right tackle Brian O’Neill, who went down with a serious calf injury against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Vikings have since designated O’Neill to the IR, in effect ending his season.
O’Neill’s isn’t the only hole to fill on the Minnesota offensive line, either. Starting center Garrett Bradbury missed multiple games last month with a back injury, which he re-aggravated during a minor car collision following the team’s win over the Indianapolis Colts on December 17.
Austin Schlottman has started in Bradbury’s place for the last four contests, though he also went down against the Packers, sustaining a broken fibula that subsequently landed him on the IR this week. Bradbury was still listed as doubtful as of Tuesday afternoon, per ESPN.
Backup offensive lineman Blake Brandel is also on IR with a torn MCL. Starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw is currently healthy, though he has missed multiple games this season due to a pair of concussions.
Vikings Offense Puts Voice to Faith in Remaining Offensive Lineman
GettyWR K.J. Osborn of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during a game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
The rest of the Vikings offense continues to toe the company line, expressing faith in the players who remain healthy along the offensive front.
#Vikings WR K.J. Osborn on the team’s depleted offensive line: “We’ll work with everybody we have. We trust everybody in this locker room.”
“Vikings WR K.J. Osborn on the team’s depleted offensive line: ‘We’ll work with everybody we have. We trust everybody in this locker room,'” Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweeted on Monday.
One new face has already joined the roster since news of O’Neill’s and Schlottman’s designations to IR.
The Vikings on Tuesday added offensive lineman Bobby Evans to the practice squad. Evans has played tackle and guard for the Rams over the previous four seasons, appearing in a total of 35 games and earning 12 starts, four of which came earlier this year.