Week 1 is closing in, and the Vikings are about to stop being a preseason puzzle and start being a real team. After quarterback competition, uneven exhibition play and a draft handled by an interim general manager, Minnesota’s strange offseason is finally giving way to football that counts. Even so, this group still has a few outcomes that could swing hard in either direction once the games begin.
One of the biggest questions sits on the defensive front. The Vikings finished 21st against the run last season, and even with Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen gone, that problem is not automatically fixed.
Jalen Redmond broke through in 2025, but at 27, it’s fair to wonder whether that was a true arrival or just a one-year spike. How far Minnesota’s front goes in 2026 may hinge on that answer, and Redmond could be asked to carry a heavy load.
The youth movement up front is real. Minnesota used early-round picks on Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange in April’s NFL Draft, trying to reshape the defensive line.
Both have flashed this summer, but Banks is still getting back into game shape after his foot injury, and Orange is almost certain to take some rookie lumps. Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, two late-round Kwesi Adofo-Mensah selections, are also set for bigger roles.
That youth comes with risk. Redmond is the veteran of the group at 27, and the line could end up looking either promising or painfully raw.
Ingram-Dawkins and Banks were the two lowest-graded Vikings this preseason, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), and their development may need to happen quickly. Minnesota’s schedule won’t offer much mercy, either.
The Vikings will see Jahmyr Gibbs twice, along with Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, De'Von Achane, Breece Hall and 2025 rushing champion James Cook.
The sacks should still show up. The run defense? That’s where the concern lives.
There’s also a strong case that Donovan Jackson becomes the best lineman on the team. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill are already among the league’s top tackles, but Jackson’s second season could push him to the front of the line after a promising rookie year.
His 2025 PFF grade was a modest 59.1, but that came with a wrist injury hanging over much of the season and a line that kept changing around him. With better health around him and better health for himself, Jackson looks ready to take a leap.
The numbers hint at something bigger, too. ESPN had Jackson fifth in run-block win rate among all guards in 2025, and if the pass protection comes along, he could start looking like one of the NFL’s most complete interior blockers. O'Neill is 31, and Darrisaw still hasn’t played a full season since entering the league, which only sharpens the spotlight on Jackson.
On offense, patience may be required early. A new quarterback in a new system rarely clicks instantly, and Kyler Murray was still splitting reps as recently as three weeks ago.
He’s also adjusting to a different style of offense in Minnesota. Since 2022, the Vikings have used shotgun on 53% of their snaps, while Murray was in shotgun 83% of the time in Arizona.
That doesn’t guarantee anything either way, but it does mean there’s real adjustment ahead.
The Vikings will also be leaning on rookies to grow into larger jobs as the season unfolds. Banks, Orange, Jake Golday and the Thomas safeties may not be ready to start right away, but some of them could be before long, whether Minnesota wants that or not.
So the early stretch may be rocky. But if Murray settles in and the rookie class starts to find its footing, the Vikings have a path to getting hot at the right time.
In Other News...
Vikings Face A Tough J.J. McCarthy Decision No One Expected
J.J. McCarthys standing in Minnesota has taken an unexpected turn, and the next move could be shaped as much by business as football. The Vikings are reportedly expected to seek playing-time conditions on any draft pick they receive in a potential trade involving the quarterback, a sign that the team would want any return tied to how much the next stop actually uses him.
McCarthy has already lost the starting job to Kyler Murray and is also dealing with an ankle injury, which has only fueled questions about where this goes from here. Kevin OConnell has said he wants to keep working with McCarthy, but there have also been rumors about a difference in how invested OConnell and former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah were in the quarterback, adding another layer to a decision the Vikings did not appear to expect this soon. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Lose Tight End Depth At Worst Possible Time
The Vikings trimmed and shifted the bottom of the roster as they settled into the early stretch of the 2026 season, placing tight end Ben Yurosek on injured reserve and releasing safety Kahlef Hailassie from the practice squad. Yuroseks absence is not expected to be long-term, but it still leaves Minnesota thinner at a spot that matters when teams start sorting out special teams roles, blocking packages and the backup plan behind the top of the depth chart.
For now, Minnesota will lean on its veteran pairing of T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver to handle the tight end load while it waits to see when Yurosek can return. The hope inside the building is that he can be back later in the season, but the timing is less than ideal for a team trying to keep its offense and supporting pieces steady right out of the gate. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings May Have Found Demond Claibornes Fastest Path To The Field
The Vikings didnt use a premium pick on Demond Claiborne, but they may have given him a clearer route to playing time anyway. Drafted in the sixth round, the rookie running back enters a crowded backfield behind veterans Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, so Minnesota has been looking for ways to make his speed matter right away. His preseason work has only strengthened the idea that he can help sooner rather than later.
Kick return duties could be the quickest way for Claiborne to get on the field, and that would fit the kind of multi-purpose value teams want from a late-round pick. The Vikings are still sorting out how he might fit into the offense as well, but special teams offers an immediate opening and a chance to turn his explosiveness into something more tangible while he waits for a bigger role in the backfield. [Read more 🡒]