EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings‘ temporary leadership group doesn’t simply have a quarterback quandary to solve. As they weigh J.J. McCarthy‘s short and long-term future, the Vikings must also account for a top-heavy roster borne of draft failures that have finally caught up to them.

The Vikings had only four primary starters on offense or defense who were under the age of 26 when last season ended. Of their currently rostered backups, only one — linebacker Dallas Turner, a first-round pick in 2024 — has objectively demonstrated capacity for a larger role. (Turner racked up six sacks in the final eight games of the season while filling in for an injured Jonathan Greenard.)

At a time when the Vikings will likely move on from some veteran players, either through retirement or to reconcile roughly $40 million in excess cap space, their lack of young and/or cheap talent is acute.

Coach Kevin O’Connell seemed to acknowledge the predicament in December when asked why he thinks some franchises field consistent winners, while the Vikings have made the playoffs in consecutive years only once (2008 and 2009) since the turn of the century.

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“I think it’s simple things sometimes, like the depth — the players that are going to be stepping in,” O’Connell said. “Have they been in your system, that true next man up? Or are they players that maybe are the next man up, but just because of maybe the necessity to acquire a player? I think each team is its own individual story.”

Unknowingly describing the situation the Vikings’ front office finds itself in now, O’Connell added: “It can be a very fine line between navigating what happened and how to fix some of those things and excuse-making.

“You’ve got to own it, and you’ve got to acknowledge it. And then, you’ve got to craft a plan moving forward with the right principles and the right things based upon … coming up on four years of experience of what our team is and what we need to be in the very near future.”

Here are six areas of the roster where O’Connell and executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski — who is leading the front office through the draft after general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired — will have to maneuver around a lack of depth, along with one that appears to have been restocked relatively well.

Wide receiver

The Vikings are paying Justin Jefferson an average of $35 million per year and must also budget a future contract extension for Jordan Addison, a 2023 first-round draft pick who is now eligible for a new deal. That makes it unlikely they could allocate cash and cap space for No. 3 receiver Jalen Nailor, who is a pending free agent (and one of the few productive members of Adofo-Mensah’s draft classes).

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But no objective observer would feel confident that the Vikings have a younger and cheaper player ready to step into Nailor’s role. They demonstrated their own uncertainty at the beginning of the 2025 season, when Nailor’s hand injury and Addison’s NFL suspension forced them to use the equivalent of a fourth-round pick to trade for veteran Adam Thielen, who was ultimately waived and is now retired.

Has anything changed since then? One possibility is Tai Felton, a fourth-round pick in 2025 who played 46 snaps and had three targets as a rookie. But that would require a significant projection, given his lack of playing time. A draft that is believed to be heavy on receiver talent might provide more options.

Addison has had three brushes with law enforcement in his time with the Vikings. He pleaded to lesser charges on two of them and charges were ultimately dropped on the third. If the Vikings were to change course and commit to Nailor while moving on from Addison, the same depth challenge would exist.

Center

Michael Jurgens, a seventh-round selection in 2024, has spent two seasons as the Vikings’ backup center. The Vikings passed over him in 2025, when they signed free agent Ryan Kelly to replace longtime starter Garrett Bradbury. While it can take time for low-round picks to develop, it’s far from certain that Jurgens is ready to take over the position in 2026 amid Kelly’s struggles with concussions.

Jurgens started three games in 2025. ESPN Research video analysis credited him with six sacks allowed on 107 plays in which he pass blocked, a rate of 5.6% that was by far the highest of any Vikings offensive lineman in 2025. When he was limited by a series of leg injuries, the Vikings shifted reserve guard/tackle Blake Brandel to the position. Brandel could in theory be a candidate for the position in 2026, but his multi-positional skills are valuable in their own right.

Two of the key offseason decision the Vikings’ front office will have to suss out include what to do with WR Jalen Nailor and TE T.J. Hockenson. Jeffrey Becker-Imagn ImagesTight end

The Vikings’ top two tight ends are T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver, both of whom were veteran acquisitions. Their contracts combined to account for 9.6% of the team’s 2025 salary cap, fourth-highest in the NFL. Without adjustments they’ll consume more than $30 million on the 2026 cap.

Hockenson’s production has decreased since a 2023 torn right ACL, and it’s not out of the question that the Vikings will ask him to take a pay cut or possibly move on from him altogether in 2026. In either event, they will have to be realistic about the depth behind him and Oliver.

Adofo-Mensah used low-round picks to draft tight ends Nick Muse in 2022 and Gavin Bartholomew in 2025, but Muse moved on after the 2024 season and Bartholomew spent his rookie season on injured reserve. Ben Yurosek got 116 offensive snaps last season as an undrafted rookie, and the Vikings were excited to claim veteran Ben Sims off waivers in October, but it is impossible to project any of them for prominent roles in the 2026 offense.

Running back

Adofo-Mensah drafted two running backs in four years, and only one — Ty Chandler — appeared in a game. The Vikings’ top two rushers in 2025 were veterans Jordan Mason, acquired in a trade with the 49ers, and Aaron Jones Sr., who signed as a free agent in 2024.

As they consider their 2026 options, especially after Jones’ injury-filled season and with Chandler a pending free agent, the only internal option is Zavier Scott — who spent 2023 on the Indianapolis Colts‘ practice squad and 2024 on the Vikings’ practice squad. Scott got 105 snaps in 2025 as the Vikings’ No. 3 running back after Chandler suffered a knee injury, accounting for 212 yards from scrimmage on 32 carries and 14 receptions.

Cornerback

The Vikings drafted four cornerbacks in Adofo-Mensah’s tenure. None are currently on the roster.

Andrew Booth (2022) and Mekhi Blackmon (2023), were traded after two seasons. Akayleb Evans (2022) was waived during his third season. Khyree Jackson, a fourth-round pick in 2024, was killed in a car accident just before reporting to his first training camp.

The only cornerback on a rookie contract who has gotten any playing time during the past two seasons is Dwight McGlothern, signed after he went undrafted in 2024. McGlothern has played a total of 50 defensive snaps in the past two years.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores unquestionably prefers veterans at the position, even in depth roles. But one way or an other, the Vikings’ internal options are almost nonexistent as they plan for a future in which they have only two proven cornerbacks on their roster: starters Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers.

Safety

The safety position figured prominently in Adofo-Mensah’s first draft in 2022, when he decided to trade down from No. 12 to No. 32 in the first round. In the process, Adofo-Mensah passed on selecting Kyle Hamilton — a two-time All-Pro the Baltimore Ravens drafted at No. 14 — and instead chose Lewis Cine at No. 32.

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With Harrison Smith considering retirement, now would be an excellent time to have a young player ready to step into the lineup alongside Joshua Metellus. But Cine didn’t make it past his second season, in part because of a compound fracture he suffered in his left leg as a rookie. Jay Ward, a fourth-round pick in 2023, started five games and took 248 defensive snaps as a hybrid safety/linebacker last season. But it remains to be seen whether he can be a full-time player.

The Vikings thought they had unearthed a consistent contributor after signing Theo Jackson off the Tennessee Titans‘ practice squad in 2022. Jackson signed a contract extension after the 2024 season in anticipation of playing full time in 2025. But after starting the first six games of last season, Jackson became a part-time player while sharing time with Ward.

Defensive line

Again concerned about depth, the Vikings made two significant free agent commitments in 2025 by signing defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Between the two of them, they received $31.2 million in cash last season, and in 2026, they are scheduled to account for $43.1 million in cap space.

This is one position, however, where the Vikings appear to have developed some young talent who might be ready to ascend further.

Defensive end Jalen Redmond has emerged as a force after the Vikings signed him from the UFL in 2024. Although he is 26, Redmond has accrued only two NFL seasons and gives the Vikings cost control for two more seasons before he would be eligible for free agency after the 2027 season.

Three other young players received notable playing time last season as well. Levi Drake Rodriguez, a seventh-round pick in 2024, had 43 tackles and two sacks in 473 defensive snaps. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, a fifth-round pick in 2025, and Elijah Williams, signed as an undrafted free agent, could also be in line for increased roles.