Vikings UFA Profile: OL Oli Udoh
With the 2023 season in the books, Inside the Vikings will be taking a look at all 22 of Minnesota's pending unrestricted free agents over the next couple weeks. We'll examine their past and speculate about their future, particularly the likelihood that they could be re-signed by the Vikings this offseason. We'll start from the least important (Hakeem Adeniji) and work our way up to the big fish (Kirk Cousins).
Vikings UFA profile: OL Oli Udoh
- Age: 27
- 2023 stats: 2 games, 1 start
- 2023 contract AAV: $2.58 million
After his rookie contract expired last year, Oli Udoh re-signed with the Vikings on a one-year deal to provide depth at multiple positions on the offensive line. He was called upon early in the season, starting in place of Christian Darrisaw at left tackle in the Week 2 game in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn quad in the second half of that game, bringing his fifth NFL season to a quick end.
A 2019 sixth-round pick out of Elon, Udoh saw minimal playing time over his first two seasons. Then, in 2021, he won the starting job at right guard and played over 1,000 snaps. Udoh started 16 games that year (14 at RG, two at LT), but he earned a very poor 39.0 pass-blocking grade from PFF, dragging his overall grade firmly below 60. In 2022, he stepped in for an injured Brian O'Neill at right tackle over the final three games of the season, including the postseason loss to the Giants.
Udoh is a big, physical lineman who has NFL experience at three different positions. Assuming his quad is good to go, he could be brought back by the Vikings to once again serve as an important depth piece up front.
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