After watching left guard Dalton Risner in action for the past couple of weeks, the Vikings felt good enough about his play to move on from fellow left guard Ezra Cleveland.
Less than an hour after on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the trade deadline, the Vikings flipped Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick, which originally belonged to the Carolina Panthers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Talking to reporters after the Vikings announced both moves, head coach Kevin O鈥機onnell noted how he had grown close with Cleveland since being hired.
鈥淗e鈥檚 really among the first players that I got to know very well when I came to Minnesota,鈥� O鈥機onnell said. 鈥淗e was in my office seemed like daily.鈥�
Originally selected by the Vikings in the 2020 NFL Draft, Cleveland was set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. He has missed the past couple of games with a foot injury, and while he was on the verge of returning to the field, he will now take his talents elsewhere.
鈥淚 know it鈥檚 a great situation that Ezra is going to,鈥� O鈥機onnell said. 鈥淗e will help out those guys tremendously down there.鈥�
There鈥檚 a good chance Risner would have continued to start up front even if Cleveland wasn鈥檛 moved at the trade deadline. After signing with the Vikings last month, Risner has been waiting for his opportunity to showcase his skill set. He finally got the nod against the San Francisco 49ers, then parlayed that into a solid performance against the Green Bay Packers over the weekend.
Now it appears Risner will be the starter moving forward with Cleveland no longer a part of the organization.
______________________________________________________
This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here.
The Trust Project
