The 4 Biggest Worries Facing the Vikings in 2026

Most Minnesota Vikings fans are at least semi-optimistic about the 2026 campaign, as the franchise onboarded Kyler Murray at quarterback in March, and Minnesota finished last season with a winning record despite terrible quarterback efficiency.

But that doesn’t mean that everything is hunky dory. Consider the following list of concerns with the regular season 11 weeks away. The items are counted down to the main concern.

Vikings’ Biggest Flaws Still Live on Offense

4. Is Blake Brandel Enough at Center?

The Vikings might have finally solidified their center position, and Brandel’s performance will determine if this solution extends beyond 2025.

Slated to start in Week 1, Brandel will assume one of Minnesota’s most critical roles. Strong play from him could mean the Vikings have found a long-term answer right under their noses all along. Conversely, if he struggles, they will be back to searching for stability at one of football’s most challenging positions.

Last season, Brandel began laying the groundwork, playing 383 snaps at center and improving steadily throughout the year. What initially appeared to be a stopgap measure gradually evolved into a genuine possibility. While his 61.4 Pro Football Focus grade isn’t spectacular, it demonstrates the dependability Minnesota requires at the position.

Dependability has always been Brandel’s hallmark. He steps up and capably handles starter duties when injuries necessitate his presence in the lineup. Last season, he played all 17 games, started nine, and participated in 64% of the Vikings’ offensive snaps without becoming a liability.

His versatility remains his greatest asset. Brandel’s ability to play guard, tackle, or center makes him one of the team’s most valuable offensive linemen. This season, however, the focus is squarely on center, where his play could finally relieve Minnesota’s long-standing concerns about the position.

The Vikings are putting a lot of faith in a guy who just started playing center at the age of 28.

3. The Depth at Guard and EDGE

These are the Vikings’ backup guards after Donovan Jackson and Will Fries:

• Henry Byrd
• Joe Huber
• Vershon Lee
• Delby Lemieux

Most NFL fans have never even remotely heard of those men. Is that a problem? Maybe. The Vikings have not been in a rush to sign or draft guards this offseason. They may secretly love Byrd, Huber, Lee, or Lemieux.

But what if they stink? What if that group is not game-ready? Minnesota’s offensive line was absolutely ravaged by injuries in 2025. If that happens again, a Sunday afternoon could feature Byrd or Huber as a starter at guard. Would you feel great about that?

For context, these guards are available on the open market, as a few examples:

• Mekhi Becton
• James Daniels
• Will Hernandez
• Greg Van Roten

Darren Wolfson said on SKOR North airwaves last year, “Walter Rouse, I’m told, his camp feels like there’s more of a pathway to playing time at some point at guard versus tackle. If you’re thinking Walter Rouse, draft pick last year, is more of a tackle, just saying, don’t sleep on the possibility of him playing guard, getting guard reps, working more so at the guard position, not the tackle position.”

Maybe the fix is that straightforward, converting Rouse to guard and calling it good. It would make sense, too, because Minnesota added two new tackles — the spot where Rouse plays — this offseason: rookie Caleb Tieran and veteran Ryan Van Demark.

Rouse at guard could solve the depth concern.

At outside linebacker, there is no clear-cut OLB3 behind Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner. It could be Bo Richter, Tyler Batty, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, or rookie Jake Golday. The Vikings aren’t accustomed to this problem, but they created it themselves when they traded Jonathan Greenard two months ago.

If Minnesota decides it needs another veteran OLB, plenty are available on the open market, including Jadeveon Clowney, who had a fantastic season down in Dallas last year.

2. Will the QB Plan Work?

Between Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer, the Vikings must have the quarterback situation licked, right? You would think.

However, Murray, McCarthy, and Wentz all have the same fear — injury history. Murray missed 12 games last year. McCarthy missed seven. And Wentz was shut down right before Halloween. The talent is there for Minnesota to solve the QB problem in 2025 and beyond, but what if injuries ruin everything?

In that case, the Vikings would be back to square one at quarterback, especially if they miss the postseason, which might propel them to explore the 2027 NFL Draft for another attempt at finding a quarterback of the future.

1. A Once-and-for-All Commitment to Running the Football

We publish this stat frequently — or some iteration of it every summer — because it just hasn’t been rectified.

Here’s the main problem:

O’Connell must commit to running the football. Until he does, his team’s offense will never reach its zenith. It’s as simple as that. Run the ball. It can’t get any more elementary.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker