Do you think the Minnesota Vikings are currently the NFL’s eighth-worst team? NFL.com does.

Minnesota’s offseason carries risk, though No. 25 feels wildly aggressive.

That’s the word from Eric Edholm this week, who published leaguewide power rankings after the first wave of free agency, and per him, the Vikings are downright bad and on pace for a season in the range of 6-11 or 7-10.

The National Outlook on Minnesota Has Swung Too Far … the Wrong Way

The odds are evidently stacked against Minnesota already this season.

NFL.com: Vikings Rank 25th in Power Rankings

Minnesota lost four main players in free agency: Jalen Nailor (WR, Las Vegas Raiders), Jonathan Allen (DT, Cincinnati Bengals), Javon Hargrave (DT, Green Bay Packers), and Ryan Wright (P, New Orleans Saints).

For Edholm, that’s just too much. He ranked Minnesota at No. 25 and explained, “The Vikings have had an odd and uncomfortable March so far, getting noticeably weaker up the middle on both sides of the ball. Losing linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave hurts the defensive front, and Ryan Kelly’s retirement leaves a hole at center.”

“Receiver Jalen Nailor’s exit was quietly a big one for a team that needs all the non-Justin Jefferson targets it can hold on to. Fullback C.J. Ham retired, and longtime stalwart Harrison Smith could do the same, potentially creating a major void at safety.”

Most fans thought the team improved with the addition of Kyler Murray, but NFL.com defiantly disagreed.

Edholm concluded, “Even signing Kyler Murray to a league-minimum deal, cheap as it was, delivered a certain awkwardness, thanks to the presence of former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. Murray’s no-tag clause tells me he’s more likely to start than not, which would make McCarthy’s future even more muddled.”

Worse than the Saints and Falcons?

To add insult to injury, Edholm claimed a club like the New Orleans Saints is better than Minnesota. Even the Falcons outpaced the purple team.

Edholm on the Saints at No. 23, two spots ahead of Minnesota: “The Saints haven’t gone hog wild in free agency, which isn’t shocking for a rebuilding squad light on cap space, but they’ve added a few pieces on offense to bolster their young QB.”

“Running back Travis Etienne was the headline name, but I think it was just as important to beef up the offensive line with guard David Edwards. The defense took a few hits, but nothing terribly concerning.”

New Orleans finished 6-11 last year, while Minnesota fired up a 9-8 record. Most Vikings fans would be wholly insulted to hear about the Falcons and Saints ranked higher than Kevin O’Connell’s team.

A Top 3 Defense with Kyler Murray at Quarterback

Why should Minnesota be ranked higher? Simple — the club has produced a Top 3 defense in back-to-back seasons per EPA/Play, and since Brian Flores arrived in the Twin Cities three years ago, the Vikings have the NFL’s best defense.

Almost no matter what, Minnesota’s defense will be formidable. If it doesn’t pull down a Top 3 statistical ranking, a fall would still likely keep the club in the Top 10.

Then, it added Murray at quarterback, who will cost Minnesota just $1.3 million in 2026. Spanned to 17 games, Murray averages about 4,000 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns, and around 600 rushing yards in a season. If he stays healthy, the Vikings should very much contend for the NFC North.

In 2025, the Vikings’ overall quarterback efficiency ranked fifth-worst in the NFL. Even average play from J.J. McCarthy, Max Brosmer, and Carson Wentz would’ve propelled Minnesota to the postseason, and that’s not a hot take.

With Flores’s defense, Murray’s production, and playmakers like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, the Vikings should be interpreted much higher than the NFL’s eighth-worst team.

Ever-Important Draft Ahead

This upcoming draft is absolutely crucial for the Vikings. In the past four years, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft picks have yielded successful players only 15% to 20% of the time. This low success rate has depleted the roster and created significant challenges for the coaching staff. It’s why the Vikings’ owners fired Adofo-Mensah at the end of January.

With Minnesota’s limited spending in free agency beyond the addition of Murray and cornerback James Pierre, the focus now shifts to the April draft. The team possesses nine picks, and a significant portion of them must develop into reliable contributors.

Specifically, the players selected within the first four rounds need to be immediately impactful; depth players will not suffice. Not after four poor drafts.

Recent changes in the front office further amplify the importance of this draft. Another unproductive draft, similar to the previous few under Adofo-Mensah, could force the team into a complete rebuild. The margin for error is slim, making a successful draft class essential.

A No. 25 ranking is about the lowest you will see for the Vikings at any time in 2026. It’s comically low.

Kaulig Racing CEO Chris Rice addressed the Daniel Dye situation, days after the young driver was indefinitely suspended by both the team and NASCAR. Following Dye’s controversial comments, Rice urged him to learn from the mistake and move forward.

The situation stemmed from a Whatnot livestream in which Dye spoke about Team Penske IndyCar driver David Malukas, while opening card packs. During the stream, the RAM Truck Series driver used an inappropriate tone to mock Malukas, prompting disciplinary action.

NASCAR penalized him under Section 4.3.C, while Kaulig Racing immediately followed suit. The incident triggered mandatory sensitivity training for Daniel Dye before any potential return. Chris Rice publicly acknowledged both the personal and professional dimensions of the situation.

“First and foremost, Randy (his father, Randy Dye), Daniel, those guys are family to us. And very unfortunate situation that arose this week that we got aware of. There’re protocols and different things that has to happen in NASCAR. We’re in a sport today that we’ve a lot of people that watch us. We’ve a lot of partners that are involved and when that happens, it’s a lot of people you’ve to talk to and figure out what we need to do to move forward.”

Chris Rice pointed to a broader responsibility tied to the sport’s visibility and commercial structure, where teams must balance internal relationships with external expectations. However, he wanted to look ahead.

“One thing about this is that we always learn from our mistakes, including me. I made many, many mistakes over my life, and I probably have not done making mistakes. And we just (get) stronger when we get to the other side of it. So that is the main thing that we have to look at… You look at the NASCAR community and everybody else that we just not, there’s a lot of eyes and ears on us now. A lot of TV cameras, a lot of cameras all around us and we have to really pay attention to what’s going on.”

Daniel Dye, 22, started the 2026 NASCAR Truck Series season with three mid-pack finishes and was 13th in the standings. He made a few starts in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series before the incident halted his campaign.

Kaulig Racing names AJ Allmendinger as replacement for Daniel Dye at Darlington

Kaulig Racing has already confirmed its short-term solution for the No. 10 RAM Truck. They announced earlier in the week:

“AJ Allmendinger will drive the Kaulig Racing No. 10 Truck Friday at Darlington Raceway.”

AJ Allmendinger competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Kaulig Racing and now steps into the Truck Series role. He has prior experience across all three national divisions, with his most recent Truck outing coming in 2021. He now pulls double duty at the 1.366-mile track.