Minnesota Vikings 2026 Roster Breakdown

The Minnesota Vikings, by many fans, are seen as missing key pieces on the roster. In our opinion, though, they are one of the more complete teams in the NFL, and their remaining needs can easily be addressed through the rest of free agency and the NFL Draft.

(Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)

First, we will take a deep dive into the Vikings’ offensive depth chart — identifying which position groups are complete, which still need to be addressed, and how they can go about filling those gaps.

Quarterback: The Field General

The Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback position has been the highlight of the offseason. Whether it’s Kyler Murray or JJ McCarthy as the man under center, the room has much better depth and veteran presence compared to what they had at this time a year ago.

The team will head into training camp with Kyler Murray, JJ McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. That’s two former high draft-pick veterans, a young top-ten selection, and a quarterback entering his second NFL season likely looking to land on the practice squad. Whoever wins the job will be backed up by a solid option if needed, which was not the case in 2025.

Offensive Line: The Protectors

The Vikings’ offensive line returns with few changes heading into the new year. The only real change is the retirement of one-year starting center Ryan Kelly, who only played in eight games anyway. It’s a bummer to lose a good veteran, but with his injury issues, it may be more beneficial to move forward with a more consistent option in the middle.

2025 was far from ideal for the offensive line after drafting a rookie guard in the first round and signing two other interior starters to big contracts. The unit was rarely fully healthy, only appearing together for a handful of games, but there is optimism for more consistency with several promising names returning.

At tackle, the Vikings retain their two cornerstones in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, who form one of the better duos in the league. On the interior, Donovan Jackson enters his sophomore season looking to build on an already solid year, while Will Fries heads into his second year with a fully healthy offseason and a chance to live up to the contract he signed in 2025.

The unknown remains at center. The Vikings have options in Blake Brandel, who saw significant snaps last season, and Michael Jurgens, who is entering his third NFL season. The most likely scenario is Brandel getting the starting nod while the team looks to draft and develop a Day 2 or early Day 3 prospect for the future.

Wide Receiver & Tight End: The Receiving Room

The Vikings have had one of the best receiving rooms in the NFL over the last few seasons, but saw a decline in production in 2025 due to poor quarterback play. Losing Jalen Nailor is not ideal, but the room remains strong with the face of the franchise, Justin Jefferson, and Jordan Addison set to enter their fourth season together. TJ Hockenson also returns on a pay cut, as the team hopes he can get back to his 2023 form prior to his knee injury.

The Vikings will look to fill their third wide receiver spot from within, as second-year receiver Tai Felton looks to take a leap, along with special teams gadget Myles Price. Both are young and intriguing options, but it is still likely the team brings in a veteran presence to help mentor the group. Adding a receiver early in the draft feels unlikely given the remaining holes on the roster and the investment in Felton on Day 2 last year, but bringing in a player like DeAndre Hopkins could be exactly what this room needs.

Running-Back: The Bone Bruisers

This is by far the weakest group on the Minnesota Vikings’ offense. The team returns essentially the same running back room from 2025, with Aaron Jones on a pay cut, Jordan Mason, and Zavier Scott. While the Vikings’ consistent issues in the run game could be blamed on play-calling, the room still feels subpar, featuring a slowing veteran and a solid bruiser more suited as a complementary piece rather than a true RB1.

Adding youth at the position in the draft seems extremely likely and could bring some real juice to the offense. If the Vikings were somehow able to land Jeremiyah Love, it would instantly boost the room to one of the deepest in the league. However, the likelihood of that depends on the team’s willingness to move up in the draft if he starts to slide. Adding a back on Day 2 feels like the more realistic option at this point.

(Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)

Moving over to the defense, we see some deeper holes than on offense, but there is also a lot of talent and upside to look forward to.

Edge Rushers: Meet at the Quarterback

The Minnesota Vikings have one of the best edge rooms in the entire league, but whether that group stays intact heading into the season remains to be seen.

A room featuring Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, and Dallas Turner is exciting to think about for a third season — especially with Turner expected to take a major leap in Year 3. However, speculation surrounding Greenard being on the trade block while seeking a new contract makes the situation a bit more complicated to evaluate.

With the guarantee of Van Ginkel and Turner heading into the year, you know there will be consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, especially with a game-wrecker like Van Ginkel. But if those are the only two in the room, the Vikings will likely be forced to address the position in the draft. Best-case scenario, Greenard and the team find middle ground, and the Vikings once again field one of the most dangerous pass rush units in the NFL.

Defensive Tackle: Clog the middle

Defensive tackle is a position that has seen plenty of turnover in Minnesota over the last year. The Vikings have seen three high-profile interior defensive linemen leave the roster in that time, including Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave. That leaves the team with a thinner, more unproven group — but it may not be as weak as it initially appears.

Currently, the Vikings would fill their three starting defensive tackle spots with Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. At first glance, this room raises some concern, but each of these players saw meaningful reps last season.

Redmond, as many already know, has developed into one of the better defensive tackles in the league and showcased his ability last year with six sacks and 35 pressures while playing 793 snaps. As for the other two, Drake Rodriguez heads into his third NFL season as an undrafted free agent, coming off a 461-snap season where he outperformed Jonathan Allen according to PFF. He will be looking to build on that and take on a more significant role this year.

Ingram-Dawkins only saw 250 snaps in his rookie campaign but also graded out higher than Allen in PFF metrics. While the sample size is smaller, he is expected to take on a larger rotational role in his second season.

It would be ill-advised for the Vikings to roll into the season with this group as-is, but adding an experienced, steady veteran along with a Day 2 draft pick could quickly turn this unit into a more than serviceable group — especially with a difference-maker like Redmond already anchoring the middle.

Linebackers: General of the Defense

The Vikings’ middle linebacker room remains largely the same, with Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson both coming off very productive seasons. Many teams would be lucky to have those two as their starting field generals of the defense, but the depth beyond them is fairly limited. Ivan Pace Jr. remains in the mix as a backup after falling down the depth chart in 2025 when Wilson stepped in for an injured Cashman.

The biggest question for this group is whether Wilson can come close to replicating what he did last season during his career resurgence. That could be a big ask for the 31-year-old veteran, even after earning a three-year contract extension over the past month.

Cornerback & Safety: Guard up the Skill Players

One of the biggest talking points on this defense every year is the need to improve the secondary, specifically at cornerback. The position underperformed last season, as Byron Murphy Jr. earned a big extension but did not quite live up to it, while Isaiah Rodgers Sr. started the year strong before cooling off.

The Vikings are hoping for more consistency from their two starters this season, both of whom are earning solid money, while also relying on one of their few free agent additions so far, James Pierre Jr. Outside of those three, the depth at corner is extremely thin, with Dwight McGlothern currently standing as the only proven depth piece.

The Vikings also face concerns at safety, especially with Harrison Smith’s status for the 2026 season still up in the air. For the sake of discussion, if Smith were to retire, the room would consist of Josh Metellus, Jay Ward, Theo Jackson, and Tavierre Thomas. While rotational depth is not as much of an issue, the question lies with the starting group itself. Metellus would likely slide back into a more natural role, which suits him better, but whether Ward or Jackson can be reliable full-time starters remains to be seen.

To address both positions, the most logical approach would be targeting a safety in Round 1 or 2 of the draft, while also signing a veteran cornerback and adding another through the mid-to-late rounds.

Overall Draft and Free Agency Brief Prediction Breakdown

Draft Choices and Position Guide:

Round 1 (18th Overall): Safety / Running Back

Round 2 (49th Overall): Safety / Running Back / Defensive Tackle

Round 3 (82nd Overall): Running Back / Defensive Tackle

Round 3 (97th Overall): Center

Round 5 (163rd Overall): Edge / Tight End / Cornerback

Round 6 (196th Overall): Cornerback

Round 7 (234th Overall): Edge / Tight End

Round 7 (235th Overall): Wide Receiver

Round 7 (244th Overall): Defensive Tackle

Obviously, the draft is more complex than this, but based on positional value and roster needs, this serves as a rough outline of where the Vikings could look to address these positions.

Free Agency:

• Veteran rotational defensive tackle

• Veteran depth cornerback

• Veteran depth wide receiver

  
  

Being able to add a serviceable veteran at each of these positions is extremely important in filling roster holes, while also acknowledging that the Vikings need to hit on their draft picks to remain optimistic about the future of this roster and its construction.

Overall Minnesota Vikings Roster Assessment

The Minnesota Vikings roster heading into the 2026 Draft and NFL season is far from perfect, but it certainly deserves more credit than it receives. It is not realistic to assume the Vikings will hit on every single draft pick or that the team will stay 100% healthy, but even hitting on a few selections could significantly improve the future of this roster — something that has been lacking in recent years due to struggles in the draft.

The Vikings will be relying on a number of Year 2 and Year 3 players to step up this season as starters or key rotational contributors, and it will be interesting to see which position groups sink or swim with this young core.

The Vikings roster isn’t perfect, but it’s far from broken — and with the right moves, this draft could change everything moving forward.

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