The Minnesota Vikings don’t have a perfect roster, of course. There’s a reason why the franchise is only predicted to notch 8.5 wins in the upcoming season. Yet, the national media sees weaknesses that aren’t really there, while snubbing those that undoubtedly are.
Matt Okada of NFL.com picked the remaining roster weaknesses for all 32 teams. A hard job, indeed, as following every team is hard, perhaps even impossible.
The Vikings certainly offer some options between the lack of a proven center, the inexperienced safety and defensive tackle rooms, or the complete disregard for pass-rushing depth.
Okada, however, chose Minnesota’s tight ends. He wrote, “Once upon a time (three years ago), T.J. Hockenson was a strong starting tight end. In two seasons since, he has totaled just 893 yards and three touchdowns. Vikings TEs accumulated the fourth-fewest receiving yards in the league in 2025. And they did nothing to improve the position this offseason. While Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings are a strong wide receiver trio, a lack of production at tight end lowers the ceiling for the Vikings and their yet-to-be-named starting quarterback.”
While it’s certainly fair to criticize the tight end production in recent years and it might not be a strength at this point, the Vikings also don’t have a weakness there.
Hockenson was once one of the elite pass-catching tight ends in football and offered sneaky versatility due to his underrated blocking skills. Since his ACL injury late in the 2023 season, he hasn’t looked particularly explosive, though. The stat sheet shows limited output, as Okada alluded to. He’ll look to bounce back this season.
But here’s the reality: Tight end is a job that requires more than just catching passes and the Vikings still employ an elite blocker in Josh Oliver. Signed in 2023, Oliver has been a force in the running game. The ground game has yet to take off under Kevin O’Connell, which doesn’t help that claim, but the lack of success has little to do with Oliver. In his three Vikings seasons, the huge tight end has added an average of 210 yards and 3 scores to the scoreboard.
The duo’s production and blocking are hardly a weakness. Regardless, the argument that the play isn’t worth the price of the most expensive tight end room in football (yes, they really are paid that much) is undoubtedly valid.
Next season, the Vikings are set to overhaul the position. Hockenson took a pay cut in March and agreed to erase the final year of his contract. Therefore, 2026 will be a contract year for him and a divorce seems likely between the former trade acquisition and the organization. Oliver is under contract for three more years and given his contract structure, he’ll likely stick around for at least two of them. A new TE1 should arrive next year.
The Vikings’ Real Roster Issue
The outside linebacker group is the biggest problem. Full stop.
Other weaker positions at least have someone a fan could talk himself into, but that would be a real stretch here.
In 2024, the Vikings employed new additions and eventual Pro Bowlers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. Patrick Jones was the top backup and secured a career-high in sacks. Dallas Turner was stuck in fourth place on the depth chart and struggled to see the field. The starters and the depth were both among the team’s strengths.
After that campaign, Jones departed in free agency to sign a solid deal with the Carolina Panthers. This year, Greenard was traded to Philadelphia. The Vikings failed to acquire a new contributor in either offseason. Backups are suddenly undrafted special-teamers Bo Richter, Chaz Chambliss, and Tyler Batty.
Brian Flores has worked wonders with comparable cornerback groups, but edge rushers rotate more to stay fresh. In theory, he could once again deploy off-ball linebackers or interior defenders on the outside, but just signing an aging free agent with NFL experience would take some weight off his shoulders.
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