The Minnesota Vikings have won their first five games of the season thanks to sound play throughout the roster. At the highest level of the ultimate team sport, a franchise needs to be deep to sustain this level of success. Even non-Vikings fans are familiar with Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, and Sam Darnold‘s improvement. However, Minnesota’s offense has also enjoyed vital contributions from its role players.
Tight End Tandem
Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver have put many strong reps on tape in T.J. Hockenson‘s absence, often doing dirty work that few people notice.
Oliver is known as a strong blocker, and he’s been extremely effective this season. Having him on the field allows the Vikings to execute “duo” runs, often leaving a tight end one-on-one with an edge rusher. Oliver and Mundt have been positives in the run game, and their roles are well-defined in Hockenson’s stead. Oliver aligns in-line 96.1% of the time, while Mundt has taken on Hockenson’s duties within the offense, taking 40.6% of his snaps from the slot or out wide, per PFF. Darnold doesn’t target either player often. However, they have made a big play on a similar concept, just from different alignments.
The Vikings added Oliver in their 2023 free-agency class, and he has been worth his $6.174 million cap hit. He provides the offense flexibility and is the perfect complement to a dynamic pass-catcher like Hockenson — not to mention being a solid pass-catcher in his own right. While he doesn’t command much defensive attention with his separation, he can consistently make catches outside of his big frame and has no problem rolling up his sleeves to contribute as a blocker.
Mundt is also an extremely willing blocker and is a known quantity for Kevin O’Connell. Mundt spent time with O’Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips with the Los Angeles Rams before joining the Vikings as their first signing of 2022’s free-agency window. O’Connell and his staff know they can rely on Mundt to understand and execute his assignment.
The two have split snaps pretty evenly so far, with Mundt playing 63.3% of total offensive snaps to Oliver’s 56.6%. Neither player is as impactful as Hockenson, and they might not even replace his impact in the aggregate. Even so, they have done an incredible job this season to ensure that the tight end position is not a weakness. Hockenson’s eventual return from the injured reserve will be like found money.
C.J. Ham
Minnesota native C.J. Ham is a fan favorite. This year marks his fourth consecutive season as a Vikings captain, and his role in the offense is just as important as the one he plays in the locker room despite limited snaps. He has aligned at fullback, as the lone halfback, as an in-line tight end, and has even motioned out wide.
While Ham has only played 25.9% of available offensive snaps this season, his niche as a late-down pass protector out of the backfield is vital. Over a quarter of his reps have come on third down. Much of the value Ham adds is from the mental side. However, he makes his stature as a pass-protecting back felt. Ham can run routes, work in different alignments, and is a strong blocker in both the run and pass game. Like Oliver, he adds another arrow to O’Connell’s quiver as he decides how to deploy his personnel.
Brian O’Neill
Offensive tackle is one of the most important positions in the NFL. Far gone are the days of left-tackle favoritism. Right tackles see the opposition’s best pass rusher just as often in today’s NFL, and teams need a solid starter on both ends of the offensive line.
O’Neill has been one of the better right tackles since he entered the league. The Pitt alum came out as a rangy, athletic tackle. He posted the fastest 40-yard-dash time of any lineman at the 2018 scouting combine and the second-fastest three-cone drill ever for an offensive lineman. He was a perfect fit for the offense at the time, predicated on wide zone runs requiring blockers to reach block and cover ground laterally. Even as the offense has shifted to some more gap scheme running concepts (40% this season), O’Neill has maintained his production.
O’Neill boasts an 83.4 PFF run-blocking grade through five games and has only allowed five pressures on 89 true pass sets. His lateral quickness allows him to get out to meet wide 9-technique pass rushers consistently and makes him effective in the screen game. Starting opposite Christian Darrisaw, O’Neill is often granted the slide or chip help simply because Darrisaw is that ridiculous. Still, he’s a Pro Bowl-caliber mainstay who will continue to raise Minnesota’s offensive floor.
Several others, like Brandon Powell, Blake Brandel, and Trent Sherfield, have made the most of their opportunities. Fans should be confident with the depth of this unit should it suffer any other short-term injuries. The wheels kept turning through Jordan Addison’s injury and Hockenson’s, which speaks to coaching, pro scouting, and player buy-in. From the stars down to the veteran minimum and rookie-contract players, the Vikings are for real.
