{"id":922326,"date":"2026-07-25T06:13:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T11:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/25\/10-things-i-think-i-know-about-the-minnesota-vikings-ahead-of-the-2026-season\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T06:13:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T11:13:50","slug":"10-things-i-think-i-know-about-the-minnesota-vikings-ahead-of-the-2026-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/25\/10-things-i-think-i-know-about-the-minnesota-vikings-ahead-of-the-2026-season\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things I Think I Know about the Minnesota Vikings Ahead of the 2026 Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Football <\/p>\n

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\"Football
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson points across the field after a play against the Green Bay Packers during Week 18 action at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 4, 2026, as Jefferson reacted during game highlights from the 2025 NFL season finale between the longtime NFC North rivals in a late regular-season showdown. Mandatory Credit: YouTube.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To begin, a tip of the cap to Matthew Berry<\/a>, the top fantasy football writer on planet earth. If memory serves, Mr. Berry does a \u201c10 things he thinks\u201d piece (or something vaguely similar). Berry is therefore my muse in this one.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Vikings are walking into a pivotal season. Last year, the Vikings finished off with a 9-8 record, a humdrum win\/loss total that needed a five-game winning streak to clear .500 by the end of the season. Brian Flores\u2019 crew, in particular, deserves credit for getting to a winning record. The Vikings are now facing a pile of pressure. Check out some things I think I know about this team going into 2026. <\/p>\n

Football 10 Things I Know about the Minnesota Vikings (I Think)<\/h2>\n

1 \u2014 Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels Doesn\u2019t Get the Credit He Deserves <\/strong><\/p>\n

Maybe a pile of people think Coach Daniels is excellent at his job. If that\u2019s the case, they need to advertise that perspective more. The Sp\/T coach has coaxed All Pro out of Will Reichard and Andrew DePaola. He developed Ryan Wright to a point where he became a wonderful punter. A lot of less obvious players (think gunners) have been great, too. Coach Daniels is a great coach. <\/p>\n

2 \u2014 Tai Felton is Skating on Thin Ice <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Tai Felton (13) fields the ball and turns upfield during first-quarter action against the Green Bay Packers, Jan. 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Felton accelerates into space as Minnesota looks to generate early momentum in a key division matchup at home. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

At minimum, Mr. Felton is a monster out at gunner who has potential as a deep threat on offense. Does Nolan Teasley find room on the 53-man roster for him? Whoever wins the WR4, WR5, and maybe a WR6 spot is going to have done so after winning a fierce battle<\/a>. Presumably, there\u2019s a team or two out there willing to trade for somebody who was a 3rd-Round selection in 2025, albeit at a discounted price. <\/p>\n

3 \u2014 Rick Spielman is Still Being Felt on the Vikings\u2019 Roster <\/strong><\/p>\n

Consider a tweet to summarize the odd reality: <\/p>\n

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The #Vikings<\/a> currently have 5 Rick Spielman draft picks on the roster. There will be 6 if Harrison Smith comes back. <\/p>\n

There are then 12 Kwesi Adofo-Mensah draft picks. The number appears likely to diminish by the end of August. <\/p>\n

Those two numbers are way too close.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2014 K. Joudry (@VikingsGazette) July 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The Spielman picks who remain: Brian O\u2019Neill, Justin Jefferson, Blake Brandel, Josh Metellus, and Christian Darrisaw. Not too shabby, right?<\/p>\n

4 \u2014 Kevin O\u2019Connell Needs to Get Out of His Own Way by Running the Darn Football<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Dec 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) and head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell hug before the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Every so often, very smart people do dumb things. Kevin O\u2019Connell is not<\/em> somebody who lacks for brains or an understanding of the game. He may, nevertheless, overthink things. Simplify the game. Run the ball. <\/p>\n

5 \u2014 TE1 T.J. Hockenson Isn\u2019t a Lock for the 53-Man Roster<\/strong><\/p>\n

He\u2019s a well-paid tight end even after getting a financial hair cut earlier in 2026. Does he still demand a spot on the final roster? Nobody from among the other tight ends can match him as a pass catcher but maybe that\u2019s not needed. Presumably, some team out there would be willing to shuffle over a Day 3 pick to snag the 29-year-old tight end. <\/p>\n

\u2014 READ MORE: Ian Rapoport Offers His 2 Cents<\/a> \u2014<\/strong>
\u2014 READ MORE: The Former Vikings GM\u2019s Training Camp Preview<\/a> \u2014<\/strong>
\u2014 READ MORE: Is Kyler Murray the Answer that Justin Jefferson Needs?<\/a> \u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

6 \u2014 Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Domonique Orange are MIN\u2019s Top DTs in 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Dec 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jalen Redmond (61) reacts with linebacker Eric Wilson (55) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Jalen Redmond is going to be the unquestioned DT1. In 2024, he was an upside depth piece. He then proved to be better than Jonathan Allan and Javon Hargrave in 2025. The 2026 season sees him play even better as he starts getting noticed around the NFL instead of just within Minnesota\u2019s borders. What\u2019s missing: Caleb Banks, who has missed valuable on-field time due to injury. <\/p>\n

7 \u2014 Dallas Turner Will Struggle to Replace Jonathan Greenard<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Greenard is a great player (check out a piece from Tyler Dunne to get a sense of why the former Viking works so hard<\/a>). Injuries are a problem, but when he\u2019s out there he\u2019s equally excellent at walloping passers and shutting down the run. Does Turner prove so formidable? I haven\u2019t seen it yet. <\/p>\n

8 \u2014 LG1 Donovan Jackson Turns into a Complete Bulldozer Who Makes the Old GM Look Smart<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Jun 10, 2025; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings guard Donovan Jackson (74) practices during minicamp at the Minnesota Vikings Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The 1st-Round selection from the 2025 NFL Draft had a solid rookie season. Solid, not sizzling. Rather than a sophomore slump, Jackson proves to be a great player who makes a dent in the line of scrimmage on a weekly basis. <\/p>\n

9 \u2014 The Eric Wilson Contract Ages Poorly<\/strong><\/p>\n

Opting for Leo Chenal, young and with great size, would have been better. These LBs went for very similar deals but Minnesota went with the in-house option on the wrong side of 30. That ends up being a mistake as the late-career breakout ended up being unsustainable. <\/p>\n

10 \u2014 J.J. McCarthy Starts More Games than Kyler Murray<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Jan 4, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) talks with a referee before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

For a little while, I\u2019ve had an educated guess. Kyler Murray is the starter in Week 1 but J.J. McCarthy starts more games in the 2026 season. I\u2019ve yet to be convinced that isn\u2019t a correct take. Doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019ve hit the bullseye, folks. Rather, that\u2019s a guess based off what I\u2019ve observed. <\/p>\n

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory <\/em> & PurplePTSD <\/em>. Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Read More<\/a> K. Joudry<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson points across the field after a play against the Green Bay Packers during Week 18 action at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 4, 2026, as Jefferson reacted during game highlights from the 2025 NFL season finale between the longtime NFC North rivals in a late regular-season<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":922327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3790,58,1267],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-922326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","category-things","category-think"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/922326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=922326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/922326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/922327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=922326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=922326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=922326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}