The Vikings have been busy the day after setting the 53-man roster. Not only did they reportedly sign running back Myles Gaskin and release wide receiver Jalen Reagor, but they’ve reportedly agreed to deals with offensive tackles Hakeem Adeniji and David Quessenberry.
Adeniji, 25, was taken by the Bengals in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Quessenberry, 33, was a sixth-round pick by the Texans in 2013 and has started a total of 26 games in his career, including 17 with the Titans in 2021. He spent last season as as a backup in Buffalo.
Adeniji started the nine of the final 10 regular season games and one playoff game for the Bengals in 2021. He followed that up with two starts late in the 2022 regular season and then started each of Cincinnati’s playoff games en route to the AFC conference title game last season.
In the playoffs, Adeniji had a 62.9 run blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranked 15th among tackles in the postseason. But his pass blocking grade of 29.8 in those three playoff games was second to last among 35 tackles who played in the postseason.
Adeniji also started all four Bengals playoff games in 2021-22, including the Super Bowl against the Rams. He started those games at guard and received a failing 19.9 pass blocking grade and a below average 48.9 run blocking score. His overall grade of 37.6 was dead last among guards who played in the 2021-22 playoffs.
Quessenberry, when making 17 starts in 2021 with the Titans, received an outstanding 89.9 run blocking grade from PFF and a below average 61.6 pass blocking grade. His run blocking grade in 2021 ranked fifth among all tackles in the NFL.
The signings are interesting considering Minnesota is set at left and right tackle with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. The depth behind them was limited to Oli Udoh and Blake Brandel (who is probably a better backup guard than tackle) after the Vikings traded Vederian Lowe to the Patriots for a sixth-round pick.
