One day into training camp and the Minnesota Vikings’ depth at offensive tackle is being tested.
Riley Reiff left practice Thursday afternoon with what head coach Mike Zimmer later called a “twinge” during a radio interview, sending Rashod Hill into action with the starters.
“‘Just be ready. You never know when your time will come,'” Hill has been told by Zimmer. “I had a few mistakes first day. Trying to go out and correct what he told me to do.”
It wasn’t the first time Hill has been elevated due to a teammate’s injury. In Week 17 of last season, Hill replaced T.J. Clemmings during the first quarter of Minnesota’s win over the Chicago Bears and posted the highest Pro Football Focus offensive line grade on the team, not allowing a sack.
Now, he’ll be given an opportunity with the first team for as long as Reiff is out.
“I think there’s some things he needs to clean up,” said left guard Alex Boone, “but at the end of the day, for being thrown in the fire like that against Ev (Everson Griffeen) I think he did a phenomenal job.”
“If you take a play off with them,” said Hill, “they’ll embarrass you.”
Though Reiff was not present at Friday morning’s walkthrough or afternoon practice, Boone believes his new partner on the left side of the line will soon be OK, meaning Hill’s time with the starters could be short-lived. Nonetheless, the Vikings realize the importance of grooming tackle depth after cycling through a half-dozen tackles in 2016.
With Matt Kalil in Carolina, Jake Long retired and T.J. Clemmings moving to right guard, the Vikings will be counting on Hill, among other young tackles, to be ready if the injury bug bites the squad again. General manager Rick Spielman mentioned Hill first when asked about the Vikings’ depth at tackle and added later that the team was “impressed” with a couple young guys at the position.
Hill is 25 years old with very little injury history in his past. He went undrafted in 2016 but was quickly signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he was only active for one regular season game last year. The Vikings signed him off Jacksonville’s practice squad in November. “He’s got good feet, good size, long arms,” said Zimmer at the time.
Less than nine months later, he’s Minnesota’s preferred back-up at the most important offensive line position. Hill also claims he could play right tackle if asked.
Being a young offensive lineman on the Vikings isn’t easy. It means you have to compete against the likes of Griffen, Linval Joseph and Danielle Hunter at practice — a task that isn’t easy for the veterans either, as Mike Remmers would likely attest after getting blown past by a Griffen spin move during Friday’s practice. “If you take a play off with them,” said Hill, “they’ll embarrass you.”
Just because Hill is playing with the starters now, doesn’t mean he can relax once Reiff returns. He’ll still need to outperform young tackles Aviante Collins, Austin Shepherd and possibly Jeremiah Sirles in the preseason to solidify a roster spot. One way he can do that is showing he can run block as well as pass protect after the Vikings were a league-worst rushing team in 2016.
“[W]henever we need to run the ball, we’ll run the ball,” said Hill of the team’s new philosophy. “We know we can pass, so we’re going to try to run it more this year.”
