Jan. 24, 2026, 2:25 p.m. CT
The Minnesota Vikings enter the offseason with question marks on the offensive line. Again.
Minnesota was aggressive during the 2025 offseason in revamping its interior line. They signed veterans Will Fries and Ryan Kelly in March, then drafted Donovan Jackson the following month.
The results were uneven. Fries was the only one who started every game, but he posted a 61.8 PFF grade for the season, despite allowing three sacks and 37 pressures. Jackson missed three games due to injury but posted a 59.4 grade, and Kelly played only eight games after being plagued by concussions.
But the issues on the line went deeper than just the interior three starters. Christian Darrisaw was in and out of the lineup, starting only 10 games. Brian O’Neill missed three games due to an injury sustained on a field goal, a phase of the game he was only in for because of other injuries to the offensive line.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic wrote that Vikings ownership has taken notice of the strength of the trenches of the four remaining playoff teams. Minnesota wants to emulate those numbers.
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The Rams, Broncos and Seahawks rank in the top five in both pressure rate allowed offensively and pressure rate forced defensively. The Patriots aren’t as potent, but they’re still 19th offensively and 10th defensively.
None of these figures is lost on Vikings ownership, which explains the first section of this story.
This also explains why multiple league sources believe the Vikings will target defensive linemen and tackles early in the 2026 NFL Draft. Cornerback depth and safety are necessities, too. But the Vikings cannot afford to proceed without a clear focus on these areas of their team, matching the focuses of their rivals in the NFC North.
Earlier in the story, Lewis noted that the Vikings ranked 30th in sacks allowed, 29th in pressure rate allowed, and 28th in quick pressure allowed in 2025. Improvement is needed not only among their starters, but in depth, too.
With Darrisaw and O’Neill missing 10 total games, Minnesota relied on veteran Justin Skule to fill in. He allowed a team-high seven sacks despite only playing 578 total snaps.
So drafting an offensive tackle on Day 2 or early on Day 3 may be more of a possibility than we imagined. The Vikings would love for Darrisaw to return to his pre-injury form, but they need insurance in case he can’t.
On top of all this, Minnesota also needs a new offensive line coach after parting ways with Chris Kuper. The line may look and feel completely different next year. Vikings fans and team officials would welcome that with open arms.