NFL Trade Deadline 2019: 5 Landing spots for Trent Williams
By Lucas Schuh
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the most up-and-down teams in the 2019 NFL season. There have been moments — especially prior to Week 8 — when they’ve looked like a high-powered offense that can put up 30+ points without breaking a sweat. At the same time, they’ve also had several duds, particularly against the Packers and Vikings (and even the Redskins, more recently).
What those teams all have in common are talented pass-rushing units. Thus, offensive line play is what the Vikings season hinges on. The Vikings have had games in which Kirk Cousins has gotten some decent time in the pocket and made some nice plays. But there have been other games where the quarterback is under a barrage of pressure and can’t consistently find his lanes to throw.
As good as Cousins can be in spurts, he does have a tendency to stay in the pocket with the ball longer than teams would like a quarterback to. One thing Minnesota could do to counteract that issue, though, is to add a great pass-blocking offensive tackle, something they currently don’t have on the roster.
Bringing Trent Williams to this offensive line would answer that problem. The arrival of the longtime Washington lineman would help the Vikings offense develop more consistency simply by alleviating the issues that Cousins holding onto the ball can bring about.