The Vikings’ 4 Most Improved Roster Spots

The Minnesota Vikings have completed free agency and the draft this offseason, and regarding the roster right now, what you see is what you get. The club may make or move or two before it’s all said and done before Week 1, but the depth chart is full. Therefore, it’s time to peek at the most improved roster spots.

Minnesota’s offseason plan becomes clearer when ranking where the roster actually improved.

Truth be told, this exercise is pretty straightforward.

The Biggest Jump Starts at Quarterback and Defensive Tackle

Ranked from medium improvement to the most, here’s the list.

4. Wide Receiver

Notable Newcomer(s):
Jauan Jennings
Dillon Bell

Some might argue this should be higher, and the case for that contention would be sound.

On Thursday night, the Vikings signed Jennings, a transaction that gives Minnesota its best wide receiver trio since Randy Moss, Cris Carter, and Jake Reed. The purple team has employed other decent WR3s since — like Bernard Berrian, Jerome Simpson, K.J. Osborn, and Jalen Nailor — but none are quite like Jennings.

Jennings is a willing blocker and just what the doctor ordered for Kevin O’Connell’s offense. Had the Vikings not lost Nailor to free agency, this spot might’ve ranked at No. 2 on the list.

Bleacher Report‘s Adam Wells on Jennings: “Jennings isn’t a burner who runs past cornerbacks, so he will need to maintain that aggressive style of play that has not always endeared him to other players around the NFL.”

“The Vikings will be more than happy to have Jennings’ aggression, attitude and swagger on their offense as they look to put together a roster capable of competing for a playoff spot in 2026.”

3. Offensive Tackle

Notable Newcomer(s):
Caleb Tiernan
Ryan Van Demark

Perhaps planning for the future or strictly picking “the best player available,” Minnesota added Northwestern’s Tiernan in Round 3 of last month’s draft. Of course, the club has Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill ready for LT and RT duty, but Tiernan inserts youth into the pipeline.

Van Demark has played 43 games in his career and can be considered this year’s Justin Skule or David Quessenberry.

Here’s the Pro Football Focus skinny on Van Demark:

• 2025: 74.4 (312 snaps)
• 2024: 53.3 (199 snaps)
• 2023: 60.2 (47 snaps)

The pass-blocking:

• 2025: 65.6
• 2024: 51.8
• 2023: 27.2

The run-blocking:

• 2025: 74.9
• 2024: 51.4
• 2023: 64.4

In the last few years, the Vikings lean on one veteran OT as a contingency plan. Now, they have two.

2. Defensive Tackle

Notable Newcomer(s):
Caleb Banks
Domonique Orange

Out with the elderly, in with the babies — was the Vikings’ mantra at defensive tackle this offseason.

The club released Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, who landed with the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers, respectively. In March, fans wondered if Minnesota would roll with Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. The answer? An emphatic hell no.

Minnesota spent two of its first three picks on interior defensive linemen in the draft. Banks is the almighty gamble, coming off a foot injury, and most think big humans with bad feet isn’t a straightforward outcome. Still, if Banks’s foot heals and stays 100%, he has an All-Pro upside.

The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis noted this week on Banks’s foot injury: “Minnesota isn’t planning to rush Banks back from the most recent procedure on his fractured fourth metatarsal. The team also believes its top player health and performance staffers, Tyler Williams and Matt Duhamel, are at the forefront of recovery around the NFL.”

“Also important in the Banks discussion is the coaching component of his development when he does return from injury. All young players need different coaching personalities to maximize their skill set. Banks is different, according to Florida defensive-line coach Gerald Chatman, in that he responds to intense challenge and urgency.”

On Orange, he’s a nose tackle, and players from that position are just easier to scout for some reason or another. For the trajectory of the long-term roster, Banks and Orange instead of Allen and Hargrave is seismic.

1. Quarterback

Notable Newcomer(s):
Kyler Murray

You don’t have to be the almighty Murray stan to appreciate the Vikings’ value during his onboarding. Minnesota paid $1.3 million for Murray; the Arizona Cardinals are paying Murray to play for the Vikings. That is not spin. That is the truth.

Over the course of a 17-game season in his career, Murray averaged these numbers:

• 3,997 Passing Yards
• 30 Total Touchdowns
• 11 Interceptions
• 67.1% Completion Rate
• 623 Rushing Yards

Last year, J.J. McCarthy produced 11 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His team still finished 9-8.

Murray at $1.3 million might be the best value in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL.

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