Nobody seems to know what the starting five offensive line is going to look like when the Vikings open the regular season Sep. 9 against the 49ers.
In fact, the only sure thing is that Riley Reiff, so long as he stays healthy, will be starting at left tackle.
The rest is a bit of a mystery with multiple options across the board.
Left guard: Tom Compton, Danny Isidora, Aviante Collins, Brett Jones
Anyone who thinks Brett Jones won’t be a starter somewhere on the offensive line is probably crazy, and he could very well slide into either guard position, not to mention center. If Jones doesn’t start here at left guard, we imagine the job would go to the guy who started the last preseason game, and that’s Compton.
Isidora got a long look there as well, and according to Vikings Territory, he has the 29th-best passing block grade among guards this preseason.
Center: Pat Elflein, Brett Jones, Cornelius Edison, Danny Isidora
It’s Elflein’s job as soon as he’s healthy, but considering he has yet to practice with the team since undergoing offseason ankle and shoulder surgeries, nobody has any clue when that’ll be. Jones was a tremendous pass-blocking center and solid run-blocker with the Giants last season, but there are questions if he’ll be able to make calls at the line-of-scrimmage with just two weeks of time in Minnesota after being traded from the Giants.
Edison has been working with the first team all training camp, but that’s purely out of need. It wouldn’t be a total shock if he starts against the 49ers, but he’s definitely not the top option. Isidora has taken some reps at center in practice, but he’s not in line to start.
Right guard: Mike Remmers, Brett Jones, Danny Isidora, Aviante Collins
You could even throw in Rashod Hill here, but he’s done most of his work this camp at right tackle, so we’re not counting him in the mix. This is Remmers’ job so long as he’s healthy and the Vikings don’t do something wild like moving Jones to right guard and Remmers back to right tackle, where he was decent last season. Isidora and Collins are essentially depth players that can mix in across the interior line.
Right tackle: Rashod Hill, Brian O’Neill
Assuming both get a decent chunk of playing time in Thursday’s preseason finale against Tennessee, this is a one-on-one battle between Hill, who can’t seem to stay healthy, and O’Neill, a rookie second-round pick who just a couple of years ago was playing tight end in college.
Both players have potential, but also come with big risks if thrown into a starting role. Let’s be honest, we’d prefer to see a tackle with a more proven track record going up against pass-rushing specialists.
What will the starting line look like in Week 1?
Again, nobody really knows. But if we had to take a shot in the dark, with the assumption that Elflein won’t be ready, we’d go with a left-to-right combination featuring Reiff, Compton, Jones, Remmers and O’Neill.
Once Elflein returns, we imagine Jones will slide to left guard, with Compton possibly moving to right guard and Remmers sliding back to right tackle, the latter of which would only happen if O’Neill, or Hill, struggles.
It’s messy, but it’ll figure itself out within the next 10 days.
