The Vikings enter 2026 with a new quarterback, a reshaped roster and enough preseason optimism to make last year feel like ancient history. After a messy 2025, the question now is which players are set to define the next chapter - for better or worse.
At the center of it all is Kyler Murray, and if the season goes right, he’ll be the clearest answer to Minnesota’s Most Valuable Player question. He steps into a situation built to help him succeed: a talented group of receivers, a healthy offensive line and, after the quarterback chaos of 2025, a much steadier hand under center.
Murray’s accuracy has long been one of his calling cards - he’s the fifth-most accurate quarterback in NFL history at 67.1% - but the Vikings won’t just need safe throws. They’ll need him to do more than dump it off and manage the game.
Even so, the fit makes sense. There are still reasons for caution, though.
Murray’s best statistical season came five years ago, he hasn’t been under center often, which Kevin O’Connell likes to do, and he split reps with J.J. McCarthy all summer.
Week 1 could get messy, but the expectation is that O’Connell and Murray will settle in as the season unfolds.
On the breakout front, Donovan Jackson looks like the name with the clearest path to a real jump. Dallas Turner has his supporters, especially after finishing 2025 with eight sacks in a part-time role, but a true breakout would likely require a much bigger number this year.
Jackson, meanwhile, already showed enough to make the case. The 2025 first-round pick spent much of his rookie season fighting through a wrist injury and never really got to play at full strength.
His 59.4 Pro Football Focus grade reflected that, but the underlying traits were there. He gave up just two sacks, posted the fifth-best run win rate among all guards according to ESPN, and showed the kind of steadiness that got him drafted in the first round.
He also had four penalties and allowed 26 pressures, but with a healthy Blake Brandel and Christian Darrisaw around him, Jackson should be in position for a much cleaner sophomore year.
Not every young Viking is in the same spot, though. Caleb Banks comes with a huge ceiling and just as much uncertainty.
An ankle injury kept him rehabbing through much of the summer, and his preseason work didn’t exactly calm nerves. His pad level was high, his heart rate even higher, and Banks himself admitted his game shape still isn’t where it needs to be.
There will be some rough patches early. That said, his size and talent are obvious, and his ability to wreck a game gives him a chance to make the kind of plays that matter most.
His long arms and quick first step can collapse a pocket in a way few others on the roster can, and eventually the sacks, tipped passes and pressures should follow. Domonique Orange may get more early run on the defensive line, but Banks has the upside to produce the most disruptive moments.
Then there’s Isaiah Rodgers, who might be the most interesting risk on the board. His game against the Bengals last year was unforgettable: a pick-six, a forced fumble for a touchdown and another forced fumble.
But that explosion was an outlier. Rodgers’ lone interception and both of his forced fumbles came in that one performance, and the big plays largely vanished after that.
He’s a solid corner, no question, but Minnesota’s depth behind him was shaky enough last season to make him feel secure. That’s changed.
With free agent James Pierre and rookie standout Chuck Demmings now behind him, Rodgers may not have the same cushion this time around. There’s even a path where his play slips enough to spark a move on the outside.
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 🡒]