Minnesota Vikings tight end Josh Oliver will undergo surgery for a torn biceps after leaving Sunday’s win at Tampa Bay, creating a problem head coach Kevin O’Connell can’t solve simply by handing more routes to T.J. Hockenson.
Oliver has long been one of the NFL’s premier blocking tight ends. The Vikings have leaned heavily on two-tight-end formations partly because he can function like another offensive lineman.
Someone else must now absorb those blocking assignments. These are the five most plausible plans, ranked from least likely to most likely.
How the Vikings Can Replace Oliver’s Blocking
5. Re-Sign Ben Sims
There’s an immediate snag with this one: Sims was dropped by the Miami Dolphins recently with an injury settlement, and the extent of his injury is generally unknown.
The football fit would at least make some sense if Sims eventually hits the open market. His Baylor scouting report described a disciplined blocker who stayed square and could seal defenders away from the play. He also spent eight games in O’Connell’s offense last season, reducing the learning curve.
Still, Sims isn’t Oliver. Another evaluation from his draft year questioned whether he could generate enough power as an in-line run blocker against NFL defenders.
Put this one at the bottom unless circumstances change.
4. Wait for Ben Yurosek to Return
Yurosek would’ve made this conversation easier if he were healthy. Instead, he’s on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury and can’t return until the Vikings’ Oct. 11 trip to New Orleans – – at the very earliest. Reports indicate the injury isn’t expected to wipe out his season, but he can’t fix Sunday’s Oliver problem against Miami.
Yurosek does bring an appealing trait for this particular vacancy: blocking was arguably his main path to an NFL roster. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein praised his willingness at the point of attack and his short-area movement, especially his ability to stay attached to defenders. The concern was lower-body strength against more powerful opponents.
He also logged 115 offensive snaps as a rookie, mostly in a blocking-oriented depth role, filling in for Gavin Bartholomew (more on him later).
Once Yurosek is eligible, he could help fix the problem. However, waiting several weeks for him to ease the pain isn’t much of a plan.
3. Promote Cam Grandy
Grandy is situated perfectly for this emergency: he’s on the practice squad.
The Vikings added Grandy after final August roster cuts, and he has real NFL experience. He started six games for Cincinnati in 2024 and appeared in five more last season. At 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds, he has the body type to step into heavier personnel packages without forcing the offense to rewrite everything around a smaller skill player.
The problem is the specific skill the Vikings are replacing. Grandy’s college resume was built more around receiving ability than moving defenders in the rushing game. One pre-draft evaluation called him an above-average athlete but specifically identified run blocking as a weakness.
So, an elevation would make sense for depth and special teams. Asking him to imitate Oliver snap-for-snap would be a much grander ask. Grandy can handle some of the extra snaps, but his college profile doesn’t suggest he can absorb Oliver’s blocking workload.
2. Gavin Bartholomew Becomes the New Oliver
This is the easiest answer from a depth chart standpoint. Bartholomew is already on the active roster and entered the year behind Hockenson and Oliver in the tight end room. No transaction gymnastics are required. He’s the TE3 – – who will probably be TE2 on Sunday versus the Dolphins.
More importantly, blocking was part of Bartholomew’s draft appeal. Draft heads described the Pittsburgh product as an aggressive blocker who could work in-line or operate as a move blocker. His broad frame gives the Vikings something closer to a conventional tight end than they’d get by merely changing personnel groups.
He was a 6th-round draft pick for a reason, though. The same scouting reports questioned his strength and ability to sustain blocks, two areas where Oliver has excelled for years. Bartholomew can inherit the TE2 designation immediately, but replacing Oliver’s actual impact in the rushing offense won’t be seamless. Not everybody’s an Oliver.
1. Increase Max Bredeson’s Usage
If the objective is to replace what Oliver does in the running game rather than replace the letters “TE2” on the depth chart, Bredeson is the golden goose.
The Vikings drafted Bredeson with a 5th-round draft pick precisely because blocking is his calling card. He won the LowMan Trophy as college football’s top fullback and played H-back at Michigan. NFL.com’s scouting report praised his centering and initial pop as a blocker.
O’Connell and friends aren’t starting from zero, either. Bredeson has already played 51 offensive snaps through three games, good for 29% of the offense. Look for that percentage to spike.
He can’t literally become Oliver; they’re different players and line up differently. But Minnesota can use more H-back looks and motion involving Bredeson while Bartholomew handles the traditional TE2 work.
For preserving the rushing offense and Minnesota’s new run-happy way of life, this is probably the first adjustment O’Connell tries.
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VikesNow Verdict: Bredeson probably gets the biggest bump, while Bartholomew inherits more of the traditional TE2 work. The Vikings won’t reproduce Oliver with one player, but using those two together gives O’Connell the best chance to preserve his newfound physical rushing identity.
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