Vikings

How Did Ezra Cleveland Become the Guard the Vikings Have Always Wanted?

Photo Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings have to be feeling good heading into their bye week. With a 5-0 record, it feels like only Sam Darnold’s carriage turning into a pumpkin — and the Kansas City Chiefs — are standing in their way of the Super Bowl.

Armed with the best receiver in the league, the best defense in the league, and one of the best tight ends in the league ready to return, the final 12 games should bring more good things for the Vikings. But there’s still a problem that remains.

CAN HE PLAY GUARD?

That’s right. The Vikings have become one of the NFL’s best teams, but they still can’t find a consistent solution at guard. According to Pro Football Focus, Blake Brandel ranks 34th among 70 qualifiers in overall grade this season. However, Ed Ingram has continued to struggle, ranking 61st in that group.

But while Ingram has struggled, there’s another guard who was in the starting lineup last season that the Vikings would love to have. No, his name is not Dalton Risner; he’s currently on IR with a back injury. I’m talking about Ezra Cleveland, who has become a top-10 guard in the NFL.

Cleveland’s time in Minnesota was chaotic. The Vikings selected the left tackle out of Boise State in the second round of the 2020 draft and immediately moved him to guard.

Fans were confused, and Cleveland was upset because left tackles make more money than left guards on their second contract. The move made more sense when the Vikings selected Christian Darrisaw the following year, but Cleveland had a learning curve at his new position.

Cleveland’s overall PFF grades were fine in his first three seasons in Minnesota, improving from 66.2 in his rookie season to 73.4 in 2022. He also carved out space in the running game, going from a 67.6 grade in his rookie season to a 79.7 grade in 2022.

Things lined up for Cleveland to get a second contract in Minnesota until the Vikings brought Risner in for a visit during training camp last year. Seemingly lurking through the bushes at TCO Performance Center over the first two weeks of the season, Risner was considered a replacement for Ingram, who had led all guards with 63 pressures allowed during his rookie season. However, the Vikings were looking to replace Cleveland, who ranked second on that list with 55 pressures allowed.

Pass-blocking was Cleveland’s primary deficiency during his time in Minnesota. He posted a 52 pass-blocking grade during his rookie year, and it never rose above 60 during his four seasons with the Vikings. With his pressures jumping from 23 in 2020 to 55 in 2022, it was clear that something wasn’t working out.

The Vikings signed Risner in Week 2. A few weeks later, they traded Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick that turned into offensive tackle Walter Rouse. The deal seemed harmless as a way to recoup the sixth-round pick sent to the Arizona Cardinals for Joshua Dobbs. However, Cleveland became the latest in a long line of Minnesota athletes who left and became superstars elsewhere.

It didn’t happen immediately; Cleveland struggled once arriving in Jacksonville. In seven games, Cleveland posted an overall grade of 46 and allowed 18 pressures on 245 pass-blocking snaps for a 7.3% pressure rate. Even after Cleveland signed a three-year, $28 million contract to return to Jacksonville, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea threw him around during a joint practice this summer.

But Cleveland found his way when the regular season began. Cleveland has allowed just five pressures in five games, posting a 2.7% pressure rate. While his run-blocking grade has dipped to 67.8, his 84.4 pass-blocking grade is the highest among qualifying guards in the NFL, just ahead of Elgton Jenkins’ 83.8 grade.

Some of this could be a small sample size; we’re only five games into the season. However, some infrastructure changes may have helped Cleveland. The most notable is Cleveland’s reunion with offensive line coach Phil Rauscher, who was the assistant offensive line coach in 2020 before becoming the primary OL coach in 2021.

After joining Doug Pederson’s staff in Jacksonville, Rauscher helped the Jaguars rank fourth in the NFL with a 4.49 sack percentage in 2022 and 10th with a 6.2 sack percentage in 2023. We should also note that Cleveland’s biggest jump in pressures allowed occurred when the Vikings hired current offensive line coach Chris Kuper, going from 34 in 2021 to 55 in 2022.

The Vikings may have also been in a situation where they knew Cleveland wouldn’t re-sign with the team when his contract expired last spring. With Risner ready to go, they upgraded their pass blocking and got something in return for a player who wouldn’t be coming back to Minnesota.

It’s a shade of bad luck, considering Risner got injured. However, the Vikings have also found something in Brandel, who has allowed just five pressures and a 2.5% pressure rate over the first five games.

The real issue has been Ingram’s play; he currently ranks third among guards in pressures and has a 10.6% pressure rate. In an ideal world, the Vikings could have kept Cleveland, put Brandel at right guard, and hoped for the best. Still, something wasn’t clicking here, and the current group is a more cost-effective solution.

Perhaps Risner’s return could send Ingram to the bench and put Brandel back at right guard. Then again, Brandel has earned the left guard spot, and switching spots in the middle of the season seems like a bad idea.

Either way, it’s almost disheartening to see what Cleveland is doing in Jacksonville, and it could make many people wonder if he could have been the answer to Minnesota’s eternal search for a guard.

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