Vikings Trade Left Tackle to AFC East for Draft Pick: Report

The Minnesota Vikings have been the subject of several trade rumors of late, most of which involve the team adding a player. The trade Minnesota actually made on Sunday accomplished the opposite.

Jordan Schultz of the Schultz Report took to social media on August 27 to report that the Vikings have dealt second-year offensive lineman Vederian Lowe to the New England Patriots.

“Trade: #Vikings are trading OL Vederian Lowe to the #Patriots, per source,” Schultz wrote. “Lowe was a 6th-round pick last year by Minnesota.”

The Patriots sent the Vikings a sixth-round pick in return for Lowe.

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Vikings’ Depth at Offensive Tackle Questionable After Trading Vederian Lowe to Patriots

As Schultz noted, the Vikings selected Lowe late in the 2022 NFL Draft out of the University of Illinois. The offensive tackle appeared in four games for Minnesota last season, playing 33 total snaps on offense and 20 total snaps on special teams over the course of the year, per Pro Football Reference.

The Vikings had Lowe listed as their second-string offensive tackle on the team’s unofficial preseason depth chart before trading him Sunday.

Even as a top backup, Lowe could have accurately been described as buried on Minnesota’s bench behind Christian Darrisaw who is among the most promising left tackles in the NFL. On the other side is the established and talented Brian O’Neill. Because of the Vikings’ talent at the offensive tackle position, it is unlikely Lowe was ever going to break through into a starting role. From that perspective, dealing him to New England makes some sense.

On the other hand, Darrisaw missed time last season due to multiple concussions, while O’Neill has yet to fully recover from an Achilles tear he suffered in early January. If Minnesota sustains any injury problems on the O-line, Lowe would have offered depth as a viable, albeit inexperienced, option.

The second-string tackle on the right side is Oli Udoh, while Jarrid Williams and Christian DiLauro are the other two OTs listed on the Vikings’ preseason roster.

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Vikings May Not Be Finished Adding to Offensive Line

With shaky spots on defense, particularly in the secondary, the Vikings will have to rely heavily on the offense to carry the team in 2023, which means the offensive line needs to be above-average if the franchise has any hopes of repeating its division-winning success from last year.

Moving on from Lowe coupled with real questions at the guard position, specifically involving right guard Ed Ingram, is a strong indicator that Minnesota may not be finished adding to its offensive line.

The team worked out free agent guard Dalton Risner in early August. Nothing ever came of that tryout, though it’s clear the Vikings’ decision makers recognize their offense’s greatest weakness.

Considering the health issues that both Darrisaw and O’Neill faced last season, and the likelihood that those particular injuries might cause lingering problems and/0r resurface at some point and to some degree, a reserve tackle can also reasonably be added to the Vikings’ current O-line shopping list.

Minnesota has a little north of $10.7 million in salary cap space to work with as of Sunday.

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