Post by Purple Pain on Oct 12, 2024 13:20:19 GMT -6
Chris Schad: How Did Ezra Cleveland Become the Guard the Vikings Have Always Wanted?
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.
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.
... and neither is this Chris guy.