https://www.vikings.com/news/2026-training-camp-preview-offensive-line

Vikings Training Camp Preview: Offensive Line

The Vikings offensive line is under new guidance in 2026.

Minnesota elevated Keith Carter, whom they hired as assistant offensive line coach in February 2025, to the position's top coach after declining to renew Chris Kuper's contract this offseason. The Vikings added assistant OL coach Derek Warehime, as well as Assistant Head Coach Frank Smith, who has multiple years' experience working with NFL offensive lines.

OFFENSIVE LINE

RETURNEES: Blake Brandel, Henry Byrd (practice squad in 2025), Christian Darrisaw, Will Fries, Joe Huber, Donovan Jackson, Michael Jurgens, Vershon Lee (PS in 2025), Brian O'Neill, Walter Rouse

NEWCOMERS: Veteran Ryan Van Demark; draft picks Gavin Gerhardt and Caleb Tiernan; UDFAs Tristan Leigh, Delby Lemieux, Tomas Rimac

NOTABLE DEPARTURES: Ryan Kelly (retired following the season)

2025 RECAP: The Vikings reworked their offensive line last offseason and entered the 2026 campaign with ample optimism.

Minnesota added veteran free agents Kelly and Fries at center and right guard, respectively, then drafted Jackson 24th overall to assume the left guard spot. O'Neill retained his role at right tackle, while Christian Darrisaw worked to return to left tackle after suffering a knee injury in Week 8 of the 2024 season.

Positivity was short-lived, though, as the Vikings offensive line sustained a barrage of injury woes. Kelly took the brunt, landing in concussion protocol three different times; he ended up playing just eight games and accounting for 329 offensive snaps.

Darrisaw couldn't quite hit his stride, either, starting just 10 games — he was replaced by Justin Skule — and often playing on a pitch count. He finished the campaign having played 504 snaps.

Jackson and O'Neill played 14 games apiece, each falling victim to minor injuries.

Jurgens started three games and played in 15 during his second pro season, logging 309 offensive snaps and 42 on special teams. Fellow second-year lineman Rouse played 88 snaps, and Huber, who impressed coaches during training camp as an undrafted rookie, played 79.

Minnesota's offensive line was charged with 33 penalties, the second-most by the unit in the Kevin O'Connell era (34 in 2024). Darrisaw was flagged seven times, the most he's received in a season; Brandel and O'Neill each were penalized five times.

Analytics site Pro Football Focus ranked the Vikings OL 18th in the league but noted the group gave up 173 pressures, including 26 sacks, in 578 pass plays. PFF called O'Neill "the lone bright spot," his 81.6 overall grade ranking sixth among right tackles.

When all was said and done, the position group that featured 10 different linemen (and 26 combos — more on that later) throughout the season simply was asked to overcome more hurdles than any one unit should.

POSITION OVERVIEW: The Vikings returned most of last year's offensive line room, with the exception of Skule, who signed with the Buccaneers in free agency, and Kelly.

Jurgens and Rouse are entering their third training camp and have taken steps forward in each of the previous two, while Huber has his debut season under his belt.

O'Connell told Twin Cities media members Darrisaw should be good to go health-wise, which is tremendous news for the 27-year-old; working through camp without limitations will no doubt be beneficial. Jackson had a solid rookie campaign and now has 849 (795 offensive) NFL game snaps to his name. It's common for Year 2 to bring a big step forward for offensive linemen, and there's no reason to expect anything different from Jackson.

Brandel received first-team reps at center throughout Organized Team Activity and minicamp practices, and he appears to have the starting role in the bag, though it will be interesting to see what shakes out behind him.

The Vikings snagged Van Demark out of Buffalo, adding valuable experience (43 games) to the room, and nabbed Tiernan and Gerhardt in the draft at No. 97 and No. 235, respectively.

Tiernan started 43 straight games for Northwestern, where he moved from right to left tackle for his final three seasons. He played his final collegiate season as a graduate student and earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors following 13 starts. Gerhardt and Jurgens likely will vie for the backup center position. Gerhardt was a three-time captain for Cincinnati and started 49 games, anchoring an offensive line that was a semifinalist for the 2025 Joe Moore Award — an honor going to the nation's best OL. The Bearcats allowed just eight sacks last season.

Leigh, Lemieux and Rimac will battle throughout camp and try to make the most of every rep.

WHAT TO WATCH IF YOU MAKE IT TO CAMP:

As the battle for QB1 continues, keep an eye on Brandel's chemistry (under center exchanges and shotgun snaps) with J.J. McCarthy and free agent addition Kyler Murray, who are expected to split first-team reps — at least early on in camp.

Brandel of course has some game experience with McCarthy (they made three starts together in 2025) and none with Murray, though he handed off to each of them during offseason programming. Murray is no stranger to adjusting to a new center. In fact, the former No. 1 overall pick had a different starting center each of his first five pro seasons, before settling in with Hjalte Froholdt from 2023-25. (Editor's note: Rodney Hudson was Arizona's starting C in 2021 and began the 2022 campaign in the role but landed on Injured Reserve after four games.)

3 KEY QUESTIONS FOR THE VIKINGS FRONT LINE

1. Will the position see more consistency?

The Vikings O-line last year struggled to stay healthy. If you were keeping track, Minnesota used a whopping 26 combinations of players across five positions.

Less than ideal.

Will the line deliver more continuity this season? It's hard to gel as a unit when players are coming on and off the line, so keeping the injury bug at bay will be key.

Another aspect to aid consistency is Brandel having a full offseason under his belt at center after stepping in for Ryan Kelly last season and playing the position in-game for the first time. He'd previously taken a handful of practice reps there, but this year marks the first time Brandel has focused his energies at center.

2. Can we expect another step forward from Fries in Year 2?

I'd like Fries with that, please.

The Vikings guard proved most durable on the line in 2025, starting all 17 games in his debut season for Minnesota. Fries was coming off a significant leg injury suffered with Indianapolis in 2024, however, so it's fair to believe he was knocking off some rust. If Fries has more consistency (as noted above) on either side of him and with a healthy offseason under his belt, the scene is set for the big man to take another step forward in the Vikings front.

3. How will the Vikings offensive line impact the run game and any changes to offensive scheme this season?

As my colleague Craig Peters noted in yesterday’s position preview, the Vikings might employ a little wider zone runs than they have in previous seasons under O'Connell, who implemented mid zone when he arrived in 2022.

Minnesota brought back RB Aaron Jones, Sr., for a third season and will also lean heavily on Jordan Mason, who racked up 158 rushing yards and six touchdowns in his first season in Purple. For the first time since 2017, the Vikings will be without C.J. Ham as the team's "Old Reliable" at fullback — but they used their fifth-round draft pick to select former Michigan bruiser Max Bredeson, who could aid the offensive line in blocking for the backs.