The Vikings Said Goodbye to a Colossal O-Lineman Earlier in the Week

A lot of the focus was on who got added. GM Nolan Teasley oped to bring a new tight end (Marshall Lang) and a new defensive lineman (Jahvaree Ritzie) to town.

Making room involved the Vikings saying goodbye to a pair of players in the trenches. Most notably, defensive tackle Monkell Goodwine — who was among the best-paid UDFA talents — got shown the door. But then there was somebody else: the monstrous offensive tackle Caleb Etienne.

The Vikings Said Goodbye to Caleb Etienne

No doubt, Mr. Etienne was facing an uphill battle. There is perhaps no more formidable position on the roster than offensive tackle.

When healthy (not a certainty in recent years), the Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill twosome is close to as good as it gets in the NFL. Darrisaw, in particular, has a high ceiling whereas O’Neill’s floor is that of a high-compete, very-athletic large lad.

Next up are Ryan Van Demark and Caleb Tiernan, both of whom got added for a reasonably beefy cost.

Van Demark has the inside track to be the OT3 after getting poached from the Buffalo Bills with an RFA offer that was too pricey for Josh Allen’s team. There’s then Tiernan, who is entering his rookie season after playing well for Northwestern in college. He’s a towering guy who boasts excellent feet, giving him a shot to develop into an excellent player.

Part of what’s missing within those basic descriptions of the OT depth is the presence of Walter Rouse (a college OT before getting recent work at G), Blake Brandel (a college OT who does everything, including making a bid to be the C1), the presence of UDFA Tristan Leigh (a college OT who earned a beefy payday), and then other talent, as well.

So, a full house.

What made Caleb Etienne stand out was his size. The o-lineman stands at 6’7″ while weighing close to 330 pounds. Even among the Vikings’ other offensive linemen at Vikings minicamp, Etienne was a noticeable presence due to his frame.

Check out the scouting report that emerged from the NFL’s website: “From a tape standpoint, Etienne looks more like an undrafted free agent, but his traits will make him hard to pass up as a late-round lottery ticket. Though he has the size, length and athletic explosiveness teams covet, his fundamentals are a work in progress, and he doesn’t always play with the aggression that will be needed on the next level. If a team can stash him for a couple of years and fine-tune his technique, Etienne could become a much better player.”

Caleb Etienne is still only 24. He’ll get another chance to play ball in the NFL before too long.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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