The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Green Bay Packers in the season-opener on Sunday afternoon. As we inch closer to the opener, one writer in particular is raising a concern about the Vikings. The Athletic’s Jacob Robinson broke down his concern in a recent column.
The Vikings should improve on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Kyler Murray undoubtedly raises the ceiling for the offense. Wide receivers Jordan Addison, Justin Jefferson, and Jauan Jennings should be able to help in that area as well. There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the Vikings offense heading into the 2026 season. However, Robinson has one particular worry about the team and the specific unit.
“My concern is the Vikings offensive line, specifically the middle. Interior blocking is crucial for undersized quarterbacks like the 5-10 Murray. It’s also where Minnesota ranked last in pressure rate allowed last season.”
The offensive line has both new and familiar faces. Assistant coach Frank Smith should play a big role in how the offensive line performs, as he wants to revamp the Vikings’ run game. With that being said, there are some familiar faces such as left tackle Christian Darrisaw. Right tackle Brian O’Neill is the other veteran piece on the line, and he will be with the Vikings for a while. He signed an extension earlier this offseason.
Will Fries should be able to anchor the right guard spot for the Vikings. Overall, this unit should be in decent shape as they head into the 2026 season. There will be tests along the way. However, there is certainly something to work with here for the Vikings, and that was exemplified by what they did last season.
Offensive Line Was Inconsistent For Vikings
The 2025 campaign was an intriguing one for the Vikings offensive line. The unit itself gave up 60 sacks, which ranks near the bottom of the league. However, they made some positive contributions in other areas. This included the running and passing games. They helped accumulate 1,841 total yards and 4.5 yards per carry. Through the air, they helped accrue 3,208 total yards.
Metrically, Ryan Kelly had an 82.2 Pro Football Focus grade. The latter played only eight games due to concussion issues. The next highest offensive lineman was O’Neill. He had an 81.6 grade. However, metrics did not tell the whole story with O’Neill. He still was a valuable piece on the line, and was rewarded with that said contract. Darrisaw played a role too, and was the only interior starter to play every game. He allowed three sacks and 37 pressures on the season.
Vikings Will Have Key Returners For 2026
O’Neill and Darrisaw are two key returners on the line in particular. They should help build the foundation for this season, just as they have in previous years. Protecting Kyler Murray is going to be an important part of what this team does and how the offense functions overall. That interior is going to be important if the Vikings offense wants to function at a high level this season. Failure to do that may force them to dip into a roller-coaster quarterback room. This would be less than ideal for both Murray and the team themselves.
Quarterback has been the story for the Vikings throughout the course of the offseason. Now the offensive line is getting a bit of concern as well. If there’s any consolation to this, it’s that we will know a little bit more by Sunday afternoon.
Vikings’ Biggest Concern Could Impact Kyler Murray, Writer Warns