https://vikesnow.com/analysis/2026/the-vikings-are-counting-on-something/

The Vikings Are Counting on Something Different Up Front

The Minnesota Vikings believe their offensive line can become one of the driving forces behind a better offense in 2026.

The optimism comes with an important caveat. Minnesota spent last season trying to keep its offensive line intact, using 26 different five-man combinations. Its intended starting five shared only 83 snaps together.

Now, for the first time, the Vikings have a real chance to find out what that group can become when it stays on the field.

The Cost of Constant Change

The number of combinations tells the story, but there’s more to dive into.

Darrisaw started only 10 games while managing the lingering effects of the serious knee injury he suffered in 2024. Ryan Kelly moved in and out of the lineup because of three separate concussions. Jackson played through a wrist injury that eventually required surgery, then later fought through an ankle injury. O’Neill missed time after suffering a sprained MCL against Pittsburgh and also appeared on the injury report with a heel issue.

Fries was the exception in availability. He played all 17 games, but even that came with an important qualifier.

As Matthew Coller reported for Purple Insider, Fries spent the season recovering from the tibia fracture he suffered in 2024. It turns out the 2025 offseason wasn’t long enough to fully overcome the issue, and he played through the discomfort last year, but later acknowledged that the injury affected him more than he let on during the season.

“In the moment you want to tell yourself that you are good, but in hindsight it was pretty difficult,” Fries told Coller. “It didn’t feel good the whole year, but I think I’m better for it.”

The performance split reflected that reality. Coller noted that Pro Football Focus graded Fries as the 13th-best pass-protecting guard through the first 12 weeks of the season, before ranking him 50th over the final six weeks.

That does not excuse every offensive issue from 2025. Minnesota’s line finished 18th in PFF’s team rankings, and allowed 173 pressures in 578 pass plays. But it does explain why the group never established the consistency required to become the physical foundation the Vikings envisioned.

For an offensive line, continuity is more than a nice benefit. It affects pre-snap communication, pass-protection adjustments, double teams in the run game, and the trust required to play quickly. The ideal five were forced to learn those details while constantly replacing someone.

The Injury Story Went Beyond Who Missed Games

Jackson’s rookie season offered the clearest example of why simple game totals do not capture the full picture.

He played through a significant wrist injury against Cincinnati before undergoing surgery and missing the next two games, both on the Europe trip. Later in the year, he missed practice with an ankle injury and appeared unlikely to play against Washington. He returned after limited practices, started the game and helped give Minnesota its intended starting five for only the second time all season.

Kevin O’Connell praised the rookie afterward.

“For having worked through an injury that might hold guys out for a couple weeks, two, three weeks maybe, he would not be denied playing in the football game,” O’Connell said. “Did everything he possibly could and then played well.”

That toughness was valuable, but it also underscored the larger problem. The Vikings needed players to push through injuries simply to keep the operation intact. This season, the hope is not that the line can again survive through pain. It is that the group can finally spend enough time together to improve.

Darrisaw said early in camp that he feels “the best I felt in two years.” He described the difference between last summer and this one as “night and day,” saying he no longer wakes up worried about stiffness in his knee.

“We got a lot of confidence,” Darrisaw said of the line. “We just got to keep trusting each other and keep building that chemistry.”

That is not empty optimism. Darrisaw’s return to full health changes the ceiling of the entire unit. He remains one of the NFL’s most talented left tackles, and his ability to hold down the blind side allows Minnesota to be more aggressive in its protection calls and run game design.

Fries’ health could be equally important on the interior. After an offseason in which he could finally train without fighting the broken leg’s aftereffects, he set an ambitious personal standard following his inconsistent first Vikings season.

“My goal is to be the best Will Fries I can be,” Fries told Coller. “I fully expect to be the best guard in the NFL, and there’s no reason I can’t accomplish that.”

The Center Question Has Changed

The most significant difference between the 2025 plan and the 2026 reality is at center.

Four-time Pro Bowler Kelly was supposed to provide the steady, experienced voice in the middle. Instead, his season was repeatedly interrupted by concussions before he announced his retirement in March. The Vikings are now turning to Blake Brandel, one of the roster’s most versatile linemen, but a player still early in his development as a full-time center.

Brandel’s versatility kept Minnesota afloat last season. He lined up at guard, tackle and center, making several starts in the middle after Kelly’s injuries. This summer, though, he is no longer a fill-in. He is responsible for setting protections, identifying fronts and connecting the entire offensive line. Before this season, Brandel’s only full-time starting assignment came at left guard in 2024.

He welcomes the challenge.

“I love playing center,” Brandel said in a KFAN interview. “I think it’s awesome. I feel like it fits my personality a little bit in terms of yelling at people and telling them what to do.”

Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips has praised Brandel’s growth in precisely the area that matters a lot at that spot.

“I’m just impressed with the communication,” Phillips said. “There have been a couple things, even early on, where we’ve gone right into some situational stuff and we’ve gotten some fronts that maybe we haven’t hit yet. He’s right on top of it making the calls.”

That is encouraging, but it remains a projection until the games begin. Kelly was a proven NFL center when Minnesota signed him. Brandel is a capable veteran with valuable experience, but he must prove that he can handle the position’s mental load every week while continuing to develop technically.

The Vikings are betting that the work he did amid last year’s chaos has prepared him for the opportunity. Until he can prove it in September, it will remain one of the most significant concerns on the team.

Better Insurance at Tackle, Questions Inside

The Vikings are trying to avoid the type of depth crisis that turned last season’s injuries into a weekly reshuffle.

Ryan Van Demark arrived in free agency with 43 games of NFL experience and gives Minnesota a more established option behind Darrisaw and O’Neill. His value is simple: if one of the starting tackles misses time, the Vikings have a player capable of stepping in without forcing Brandel to move from center or triggering multiple changes elsewhere on the line.

The long-term investment is Caleb Tiernan, the third-round pick from Northwestern. Tiernan is unlikely to be needed as an immediate starter with Darrisaw and O’Neill under contract, but his development matters. Minnesota drafted him to become a viable tackle option rather than relying entirely on emergency solutions if injuries strike again.

The interior depth is less certain.

With Brandel moving into the starting lineup, Michael Jurgens and Joe Huber are the most prominent returning reserves inside. Jurgens, a former seventh-round pick, made three starts and played 309 offensive snaps last season. Huber, an undrafted rookie in 2025, logged 79 offensive snaps. Both gained useful experience, but neither has established himself as a proven answer if the Vikings lose a guard or center for an extended stretch.

Minnesota added little immediate experience to that part of the depth chart. That makes the health of the starting unit even more important. The starting five may be much better positioned than it was last season, but the margin for error remains thinner on the interior than at tackle.

A Different Play Style

Minnesota also believes it has a better coaching environment for the type of offense it wants to become.

Keith Carter now leads the offensive line room, while Frank Smith joined the staff as assistant head coach. Their influence is expected to show most clearly in the run game, where the Vikings want to be more intentional at the line of scrimmage and more connected in their blocking combinations.

Brandel described the changes as tweaks rather than a complete overhaul, but he also said the line is excited about the new approach.

“It’s a new play style,” Brandel said. “I think the O line part of those smiles is we’re really excited about it.”

Phillips provided the clearest description of what that means.

“There’s been a really intentional feel for those guys of really coming off the football,” Phillips explained. “In the run game, playing on their side of the line of scrimmage, getting that first significant touch in pass protections, throwing their hands, selling play action passes, selling the run, and really getting guys to step up.”

The phrase “playing on their side of the line of scrimmage” has become a theme around Minnesota’s offense. It is not just about running the ball more often. It is about creating an identity that forces defenses to respect the line’s physicality, then using that aggression to sell play action and create explosive opportunities for Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.

That plan requires five linemen who know exactly what the player beside them is doing.