Will the Vikings Target Mike Munchak to Replace Phil Rauscher as Their Offensive Line Coach?

It turns out offensive line coach Phil Rauscher is leaving the Vikings, after all. A report from last week that Rauscher was being hired by the Bills didn't come to fruition, opening up the possibility that he'd stick around in Minnesota. But he's being hired by Doug Pederson and the Jaguars to be their O-line coach and run game coordinator, according to ESPN's Field Yates.

Rauscher is the latest Vikings assistant coach to take a job elsewhere in the weeks leading up to the official beginning of the Kevin O'Connell era. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, and special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken all have new jobs. So do lower-level assistants like Ben Steele and Robert Steeples. Defensive backs coach Karl Scott is reportedly heading elsewhere as well, and the writing is on the wall for co-defensive coordinators Andre Patterson and Adam Zimmer, and the vast majority of Mike Zimmer's other assistant coaches. Only a couple members of last year's coaching staff, if any, figure to stick around.

Meanwhile, the Vikings have begun making progress on filling out O'Connell's staff, even as the incoming coach remains laser-focused on what the Rams' offense needs to do in Sunday's Super Bowl. The Broncos' Curtis Modkins is expected to be hired as Minnesota's running backs coach and run game coordinator. The defensive coordinator search is in full swing, with former Broncos DC Ed Donatell reportedly emerging as the favorite among a group that also includes Aubrey Pleasant (Lions), Anthony Weaver (Ravens), and Sean Desai (Bears). Wes Phillips, Liam Coen, Eric Henderson, and Jonathan Cooley are Rams assistant coaches who O'Connell could consider bringing with him to Minnesota.

Once O'Connell is officially hired and introduced early next week, his staff will likely start to come together quickly.

The news that Rauscher is headed to the Jaguars begs the question of who will replace him as the Vikings' offensive line coach. Considering the Vikings' perennial struggles up front, the presence of some talented young players on the O-line, and how important winning in the trenches will be to what O'Connell wants to achieve on offense, it's a critical role.

One name that's out there and worth keeping in mind is Mike Munchak. If the Vikings are going to hire Modkins from the Broncos (and possibly Donatell as well), why not bring the former Denver O-line coach along as well? Munchak spent the past three seasons with the Broncos on Vic Fangio's staff, working closely with Modkins on the offensive side of the ball.

Not only that, but Munchak is widely considered one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL. People with his pedigree aren't available very often, but that's the case right now as new Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett decided to go in a different direction at that spot.

Munchak is a Hall of Fame guard who played for the Oilers in the 1980s and early '90s. He immediately joined the Oilers' coaching staff after his playing days ended, and was the offensive line coach from the franchise's first season in Tennessee in 1997 through 2010. He then spent three years as the Titans' head coach, but it became clear that his best fit is as an OL coach. He held that role for the Steelers from 2014 to 2018, and then with the Broncos for the past three seasons.

Munchak's track record is incredible, and the connections to Modkins and Donatell make him someone to keep an eye on. He'll have other suitors in teams like the Steelers and Dolphins, and it would be a shocker if Munchak, who turns 62 next month, isn't an offensive line coach somewhere in 2022. This is purely speculation, but maybe that will be in Minnesota. 

If it's not Munchak, I don't know enough about potential offensive line coaches to have any real idea who Rauscher's replacement might be. Bill Callahan, the Browns' OL coach, has ties to both O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, but he's currently under contract in Cleveland. Additionally, I believe Callahan and O'Connell may have had some philosophical differences when they worked together in Washington in 2019 (after Jay Gruden was fired, Callahan was the interim head coach and O'Connell called the plays as the OC).

The expected hire of Modkins is likely an indication that O'Connell wants to vary his run schemes and make the Vikings less reliant on wide zone concepts. Adding Munchak, whose background is in gap and power schemes, would fit that idea as well. More importantly, it would be a big-time hire if O'Connell is able to land one of the best offensive line coaches in modern history.