With OTAs kicking off, the offseason training program is officially underway. There was a practice in late April and rookie minicamp, but now we have the full 90-man roster. It has been an unusual offseason, with an interim GM and the interview process for a permanent one happening in May.
The Vikings Have Several Roster Battles Brewing This Summer
Every offseason and training camp are important, but given the Vikings’ situation, this one may be the most important since Kevin O’Connell’s arrival. I’d say that the majority of the positions have well-defined starters, but this doesn’t mean that there won’t be key battles for rotational roles. And, of course, there’s a question mark above the most important position in the sport.
QB1
This is the one that everyone was, is, and will be talking about until September 13th. J.J. McCarthy had a bad season, which is why the Vikings opted to sign Kyler Murray. Kevin O’Connell said he wants the QB room to be competitive, and we will see in the first days of training camp how competitive it is.
Kyler Murray is the presumed starter right now, and I doubt he’d sign if this weren’t the case. Murray is in the best situation of his career and will have the opportunity to showcase the talent that won him a Heisman and made him the 1st pick in 2019.
However, McCarthy will also get his shot. He’s been working all offseason with John Beck, a private QB coach who is well-respected around the league. If (and that’s a big if) McCarthy shows the necessary improvements, this will be a true competition. Both have the talent, but it will come down to who is more consistent. Admittedly, this was McCarthy’s biggest problem in 2025
The quarterback competition will not only decide who will be the starter in 2026 but also significantly impact the Vikings in the short and long-term future.
RB1
One that can fly under the radar or not happen at all. Both Jones and Mason battled through injuries last season, and this has to be taken into consideration. Jones finished with more carries per game, but Mason had more yards per carry and rushing touchdowns.
It will probably remain a 1A/1B situation, rather than a true starter. It’s hard to judge solely by snap count because of their injuries, but Aaron Jones finished with 55% of the snaps available and Mason with 44%. With Jones being a year older, I believe this will be closer to 50/50.
The Vikings chose not to go after a running back early in the Draft, so they must be satisfied with this duo.
Center
It’s hard to judge anything on the offensive line until training camp, when they can finally put the pads on. From now until late July, the only thing we have to base this on is reps with the first team. And, if the first day of OTAs showed anything, it’s that this is Blake Brandel’s job to lose. I’m curious to see how he does, with a full offseason to practice and get used to the position, as opposed to being thrown into the fire like last season.
Rookie Gevin Gerhardt has a lot of experience, and if he shows during training camp that he can handle NFL-level players, he can have an opportunity to challenge Blake Brandel. To do so, he will have not only to learn but also truly understand Kevin O’Connell’s playbook and be a good communicator.
TE3
T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver are the two starters; that’s set in stone. The Vikings had a few tight ends rotating as the third guy, with Ben Yurosek having more games and offensive snaps. However, the person most likely to be the TE3 last year wasn’t available, as Gavin Bartholomew missed the entire year due to a back injury.
Now healthy, Bartholomew will be strongly in the TE3 mix. With the league shifting to heavier personnel, having three reliable tight ends becomes more important.
DT Rotation
Jalen Redmond solidified his status as the group’s leader with a very strong 2025 campaign. If healthy, rookie Caleb Banks should be the starter alongside him, and that would make a very scary duo. Behind them, a lot of young players will be competing for snaps. Basically, every player in this room is young, but you get the point.
Levi Drake Rodriguez and Elijah Williams had the first-team reps at the start of OTAs, but this should change multiple times before the season opener. As with the offensive line, it’s hard to judge this group until they’re allowed to have padded practices.
Rookie Domonique Orange is likely to get more snaps as he gets used to the playbook and the NFL, while we probably won’t see much of Banks until training camp. Besides Rodriguez, Williams, Banks, and Orange, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Taki Taimani should split the majority of first and second-team reps.
ILB2
I already went on record here and said that, to me, Jake Golday will be the starter alongside Blake Cashman in Week 1. For this to happen, though, Cashman will have to remain a Viking. Apparently, he wasn’t present for the first OTAs, and, although they aren’t mandatory, it does raise an eyebrow considering he has been in some trade rumors recently.
Do I think the Vikings will trade Cashman? No, this would be a bonehead decision that could put the whole season in jeopardy after already trading Jonathan Greenard. But rumors hardly come without any reason, and with Cashman entering the final year of his contract, the rumors won’t stop until he gets a new contract, which probably won’t happen before a GM is hired.
OLB3
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Jonathan Greenard has been traded to the Eagles. While I think Dallas Turner is ready to take that next step in his development, this has left a giant depth problem. Bo Richter, Chazz Chambliss, and Tyler Batty have close to zero experience on defense, serving as special teams players to this point.
Add in the fact that Andrew Van Ginkel will turn 31 and missed 5 games with an injury last season, not having a reliable edge rusher behind Gink and Turner isn’t very smart.
Similar to what they did when the Vikings signed Jauan Jennings, I believe a veteran pass rusher will come to town in the next few weeks. If it doesn’t happen, then I really hope Brian Flores trusts one of the younger guys, because the pass-rushing rotation is key.
Basically Every Safety
Besides Josh Metellus, who I think plays one of the more unique roles in the NFL, every other role is up for grabs. Harrison Smith still has to say whether he will be back, but even if he does, he likely won’t be playing 90%+ of the snaps. And, well, he isn’t on the roster right now, so technically his job is available.
I was also disappointed with Theo Jackson in 2025, so in my heart, both safety positions are available. Fun time to remember that I classify Metellus’ position as “yes”, because that’s what he should answer when anyone asks where he plays.
Jay Ward started the last few games of the 2025 season and had some nice moments. He didn’t put up crazy highlight-reel plays, but I don’t remember any mistakes either. He is next in the safety line, entering the last year of his rookie deal and spending the last three years on special teams and learning the defense.
If he can keep the momentum from 2025 into training camp and preseason, he can be on the field for the first snap of 2026.
Also battling for that starting job are both Thomas rookies, Jakobe (the third-round pick) and Jacob (undrafted free agent). Jakobe is a name to keep an eye on after a very strong season with the Miami Hurricanes, with 5 interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 6 passes defended, while earning defensive MVP in the Fiesta Bowl against Ole Miss.
But don’t let Jacob slide past you, as the UDFA has a lot of qualities that Brian Flores tends to look for. It’ll be hard for him to make the roster, let alone a starting position. But this is a team that, especially on defense, gives UDFA players a lot of chances.
A few other position battles will pop during the offseason, like backup OL, WR4, CB4, starting punter, and so on, but the ones I mention are those that I think can have a bigger impact on the 2026 season.
