The Minnesota Vikings did virtually nothing to enhance their interior offensive line this offseason, rolling with last year’s pair of guards, Donovan Jackson and Will Fries, while promoting Blake Brandel to center after Ryan Kelly’s retirement. Now, according to ESPN, that unit is the club’s “x-factor” in 2026.

ESPN determined every NFL squad’s x-factor this week, and for Minnesota, that’s the iOL.

The Vikings’ Interior Offensive Line Has to Pay Off

ESPN: Vikings X-Factor: Interior Trenches

In an article that claimed the Vikings have the sport’s 22nd-best roster heading into 2026, Seth Walder noted the iOL as the x-factor: “X factor for 2026: Interior offensive line. Will Fries struggled last season at guard after signing a big free agent contract, with a sixth percentile pass block win rate.”

“But he boasts upside, as does fellow guard Donovan Jackson, Minnesota’s first-round draft pick in 2025. Blake Brandel played 347 snaps at center last season in his first time playing the position in the NFL. He is expected to start there again in 2026.”

The interior offensive line was a problem for the Vikings about half a decade ago but has largely stabilized since Kevin O’Connell took over in 2022.

Walder added, “How those three players improve could play a big role in how much offensive success the Vikings have this season.”

Donovan Jackson

Jackson produced a commendable rookie campaign, finishing just under 60.0 per Pro Football Focus. He also navigated a broken wrist right away in his career, playing 14 of an eligible 17 games.

From the Walder observation, it’s all about Jackson taking the next step. He played steady enough to give fans hope for a promising career; no one will be too surprised if he shows up in 2026 and balls out.

Jackson also said last month that he’s more prepared as a sophomore: “I feel like last year I was a headless chicken trying to learn a foreign language with this playbook. Another year under my belt, I come out here, and I’m trying to get better with certain details.”

Will Fries

Fries is in a different boat. He must elevate his game in 2026. While that may sound blunt, it’s accurate. The Vikings invested heavily in him, not for an adequate starter, but for a cornerstone player. After his initial season in Minnesota, he still has much to prove.

Fries’ stellar performance with the Indianapolis Colts in 2024 is the caliber of player Minnesota believed they were acquiring. His 2025 season wasn’t a complete failure, but it certainly didn’t justify his substantial contract. PFF assigned him an overall grade of 61.8, which is merely passable.

However, passable is insufficient for an annual salary of $18 million. That grade should be closer to 71.8, not 61.8. This is the stark reality of his contract. If Fries makes strides in 2026, the investment will begin to look justified, bringing collective relief. But if his performance remains the same or similar, the situation will quickly become uncomfortable next offseason.

The Vikings require the dominant Fries from his Colts tenure; they paid a premium for that level of play.

Blake Brandel

Brandel has unexpectedly emerged as one of the most intriguing players on the roster.

Just a few years ago, such a statement would have seemed odd. Since joining the Vikings in 2020, Brandel has primarily served as Minnesota’s versatile offensive line backup — a reliable utility player capable of stepping in at guard, tackle, and even center when needed.

Now, though, the Vikings are giving him a genuine audition at center, a decision that speaks volumes. Minnesota notably passed on signing a veteran center in free agency or drafting one early. The move follows Brandel’s performance last season when he filled in for Ryan Kelly, who missed nine games due to concussions. Brandel showed improvement as the weeks progressed, apparently convincing Kevin O’Connell and Wes Phillips to continue this experiment.

Should Brandel perform as a Top 15 center, the Vikings’ trust will be validated. They might even consider a preemptive contract extension. A two-year extension at approximately $6 million per season could prove to be a shrewd move if he solidifies his position as a starter by September.

While Brandel typically begins a season as the flexible backup, this time, the Vikings are treating him as their primary plan at center. He logged a 61.4 PFF mark, not far off the aforementioned Fries. In fact, Jackson, Fries, and Brandel logged similar grades in 2025. Decent, not great.

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Joey Ortiz homered, Robert Gasser pitched a career-high 7 2/3 innings and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-2 Tuesday night to complete a doubleheader sweep.

Jacob Misiorowski struck out 11 in the first game of the split doubleheader, which was a makeup from May 5, and the Brewers won 4-3.

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Milwaukee has won four straight games and seven in a row against St. Louis. The Cardinals lost their fourth straight.

Gasser (2-3) allowed just a two-run homer to Nelson Velázquez. He struck out four, walked one and scattered four hits.

Cooper Pratt gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead with a leadoff triple in the third inning and scored on a Christian Yelich groundout.

Luis Lara, in his major league debut, got his first hit and RBI with a two-run single that gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead in the fifth.

Milwaukee broke it open with seven runs against Cardinals reliever Jared Shuster in the seventh. Ortiz started the outburst with a solo homer and Brice Turang, Gary Sánchez, Jackson Chourio and Pratt followed with RBI hits.

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Cardinals starter Hunter Dobbins (1-1), who was appointed the team’s 27th man for the doubleheader, allowed three runs on four hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked three.

With St. Louis trailing by eight, infielder Bryan Torres pitched two scoreless innings of relief.

Up next

Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (3-7, 3.12 ERA) will make his final start before the All-Star break after having turn in the rotation pushed back a day. The Brewers counter with LHP Kyle Harrison (8-1, 2.82 ERA) in the fourth game of their five-game series on Wednesday night.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

LeBron James is one of the latest people who stood up for Philadelphia 76ers star Jaylen Brown. There has been some noise about how Brown was treated by the Boston Celtics, trading him to an Eastern Conference rival for Paul George and future draft picks.

After the deal, there have been reports from anonymous sources about how the league had “mixed” opinions about the NBA star. According to the reports, not everyone likes Brown, especially his off-season activities.

Former NBA player Austin Rivers posted a video on Instagram and addressed the “schmear campaign” from “anonymous campaigns.”

“He’s done nothing wrong,” Rivers said. “My man just works hard. Yeah, he has a stream and he does all these other stuff, and he is very outspoken and that can ruffle feathers and ‘scare teams’ from what I’m hearing, for whatever reason. But the only thing that really matters is the guy just shows up and plays.

“Now we got a schmear campaign by a bunch of anonymous sources, nobody puts their name out, of course. It’s a bunch of twerps and the NBA is filled with them. A lot of them who have no background in basketball, never really put any weight or any work or sweat in the game. They’re just people who got a part in an organization and have just lasted.”

LeBron James responded on Instagram by reposting the video and sharing it on his stories.

“PUT A FKN NAME ON IT!” James posted.

Since many believed Boston didn’t receive enough in return, the Celtics-76ers transaction also generated a lot of buzz. Brown had just finished the best season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, leading the team to a 56-26 record and finishing sixth in the MVP voting.

George, meanwhile, appeared in 37 games, averaging 17.3 points in his second season in Philly. He also served a 25-game suspension without pay for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.

LeBron James And Jaylen Brown Could Team-Up in Philly

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the teams that are rumored to pursue LeBron James this summer. The conversations about James potentially landing in Philly started after the franchise traded for Jaylen Brown, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

“When the Sixers got Jaylen Brown, I did some research, and I found out within 24 hours, he (LeBron) is taking their pitch very seriously,” Charania said. “When I talk to teams now, I have a hierarchy of Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia, and then some teams on the peripheral.”

Having LeBron James team up with Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe could give the 76ers enough push to dominate the East.