Run it back. It’s more or less the plan every year for the Minnesota Vikings, who always expect to be competitive. This year, that philosophy has some merit, hopefully with a much-improved situation at quarterback.
Last year at QB, inconsistent play, injuries, and whatever you want to call what happened against the Seattle Seahawks doomed Minnesota’s 2025 run despite having a solid roster. Now in 2026, the team seems strong again, and with some insurance at quarterback, it’s easy to convince yourself that this is definitely a playoff team. But when it comes to Minnesota Vikings football, nothing is guaranteed. So if they experience ugly quarterback play or injuries again, is this roster built to survive it?
The Vikings are hoping this question never needs to be answered. Not only did they go out and sign former No. 1-overall pick Kyler Murray in free agency, but they also brought back veteran Carson Wentz and the ever-polarizing J.J. McCarthy. Impossible, you say, that all three will either be awful or hurt, leaving the Vikings wasting away at the bottom of the division, quarterback-less.
Well, while unlikely, it wasn’t long ago that the Vikings were forced to play four quarterbacks in a season, including Josh Dobbs, who hadn’t even learned the receivers’ names yet by the time he was called into action. Having to repeat this scenario so soon again in 2026 would be devastating. However, to quote a certain police officer making recent headlines, “I’m a Vikings fan, unfortunately.”
So what if Murray gets hurt? What if McCarthy is only marginally better than 2025? What if Wentz looks like a 34-year-old coming off shoulder surgery? Does Minnesota have the horses to salvage the season?
The defense allowed just 10 points per game over the last five contests in 2025 and willed Minnesota to a respectable 9-8 record. Losing Jonathan Greenard and potentially Harrison Smith is a pair of stumbling blocks, but Brian Flores finally got a chance to bring in some of ‘his guys’ in turn. The Vikings used their first three draft picks on defensive players, and Caleb Banks, Domonique Orange, and Jake Golday could all be starting at some point this year. Even fifth-round pick Jakobe Thomas could find his way into the starting lineup eventually.
The rookie class has a chance to be great, but that’s just the thing – they’re rookies. There will be growing pains.
And, not to curse the team, but the defense was also incredibly healthy in 2025. Both starting cornerbacks played every game, and really Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel were the only starters to miss more than one game. The Vikings added James Pierre at corner in free agency this year. After grading out as the second-best corner in football last year, he would be more than capable of starting some games if needed. The real concern for depth is at edge, with a bare cupboard behind Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner.
With a core still mostly intact, and Flores still prowling the sidelines, there’s no reason the Vikings defense shouldn’t maintain their same level of dominance in 2026. And for the offense, quarterback or not, it should be better in nearly every way.
Will Fries, fresh off a broken leg, was actually the only offensive lineman to not miss time in 2025. Assuming the injuries show some positive regression this year, the line should be one of the team’s strengths. Blake Brandel at center is a situation to monitor, but the other four are set-it-and-forget-it starters who are great at their best and above average at their worst.
Receiver boasts arguably the top trio in the league, but if the quarterback falters, there’s only so much they can do to drag the offense forward. Still, Justin Jefferson got his 1,000-yard season despite enduring a year full of hospital balls and overthrows. Therefore, there’s hope that as long as there’s a ball in the air in 2026, there’s a chance he’ll come down with it. Jauan Jennings is a contested-catch monster, reeling in over 60% of his chances, and it’s hard to understate how important that will be this season.
Running back is certainly the biggest area of concern, but with a savvy vet and a change-of-pace back with a 5.1-yard career average, the Vikings could do a lot worse. How the backfield of Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, and rookie Demond Claiborne shakes out is yet to be seen. Still, it’s a talented enough group that Kevin O’Connell can find ways to squeeze out reasonable production.
Ultimately, quarterback will likely be much improved from 2025 one way or another, but it’s not unreasonable to think that Minnesota could make the playoffs even with subpar play there again. Another top-10 defense paired with an offense that has a great surrounding cast and one of the NFL’s better offensive minds should be enough to slide into the playoffs as a wildcard even if disaster strikes behind center.
