“J.J. has been in the building watching those guys, specifically Christian and Will, throughout the offseason,” O’Connell said. “And then going back to having a guy like Ryan Kelly at the center position for a young quarterback is [invaluable] between the whistles, between the snaps.
“You can’t have a more valuable piece for J.J. in that huddle than Ryan Kelly, who really has been in all kinds of different offensive variations, where he’s had anywhere from, you know, total control at the line of scrimmage to Philip Rivers behind him as quarterback,” O’Connell continued. “It’s really one of those things where, first and foremost, getting that continuity [is crucial]. They left off in a great place in the spring, but now we get the real reps against maybe the most difficult defense to practice against on a daily basis in the NFL.
“And then having Brian O’Neill out there, one of our true beacons of leadership, pillars of leadership, every single day. Setting the standard,” O’Connell added. “Brian O’Neill’s name and face pops in my mind pretty quickly for helping me become the coach I am, and hopefully he feels like we’ve helped him, as well. But we lean on these guys.”
The Vikings will evaluate competition at left guard between returner Blake Brandel and 2025 first-round draft pick Donovan Jackson. Brandel worked at right guard in place of Fries, and Jackson lined up at left guard with the first group during the offseason program.
The Vikings are closer to seeing their plan for the offensive line unfurl.
“Any quarterback, knowing how difficult it is with the type of fronts you’re going to see week-in and week-out in the NFL, there’s a reason why we went and got some of those guys to pair with the players we feel very, very strongly about being our core to make up what we think is going to be a pretty strong unit,” O’Connell said. “But that all has to be solidified. They’re just names on a sheet of paper, and we’ve got to make it come to life.”