Depleted offensive line not new 'challenge' for Kirk Cousins

EAGAN, Minn. -- John DeFilippo preaches two absolutes as an offensive coordinator: run the football and protect the quarterback. Few teams in the NFL, he believes, are able to achieve success if they can't do both at a high level.

Without Nick Easton (neck/back), Mike Remmers (ankle) and Pat Elflein (PUP), the challenge of protecting Kirk Cousins becomes more difficult. Not having three starters on the offensive line has forced Minnesota to adjust its personnel in practice, making Saturday's preseason game in Denver an early gauge of the strength of the unit's depth structure with several expected absences.

"We will know very early how we're holding up, up front," DeFilippo said. "I…