The 40 Most Important Vikings of 2026: No. 29 — Josh Oliver

The VikesNow countdown of most important players for the upcoming season is now under 30, with safety Jakobe Thomas in the rearview mirror and tight end Josh Oliver front and center. Oliver enters Year No. 4 with the Vikings, believe it or not.

The veteran pass-catcher and blocker is penciled in as the TE2, but truth be told, his role is much more vital than most know.

Oliver Is More Important Than a Regular ‘ol TE2

Oliver’s Role in 2026

Much won’t change for Oliver in 2026 – – unless T.J. Hockenson misses time due to injury. By now, Oliver is firmly entrenched as the Vikings’ second tight end, and that won’t vary unless the franchise fires off an unforeseen trade in the next six weeks.

Oliver has proven himself as an efficient redzone target, and there’s a decent chance that the Vikings throw more touchdown passes in 2026 than in 2025. Kyler Murray is in town to battle J.J. McCarthy for the QB1 job, and if Murray prevails at training camp, he has a history of feeding tight ends and optimizing their importance. See: Trey McBride in Arizona.

With any luck, Minnesota’s offense will reach grander heights in 2026, with Oliver being along for the fun as a blocking tight end and redzone merchant.

What Success Looks Like

Success for Oliver is fairly straightforward: remain sturdy in the role as a pass- and run-blocker, score a handful of touchdowns, and stay healthy for 17 games. At the Vikings training camp press conference, head coach Kevin O’Connell insisted his team wants to run the ball more in 2026 – – he says that every summer – – if that rings true in 2026, Oliver will have a meaty role. Oliver signed an extension last summer worth over $23 million over the next three seasons, and that money isn’t really for TE1 duties; it’s the TE2 dirty work, paving lanes for running backs and ensuring Murray or McCarthy don’t get walloped on a regular basis. Think: C.J. Ham but as a tight end.

Therefore, the status quo is ideal for Oliver. Fans don’t flock to stores to buy Oliver jerseys, but “football guys” enjoy what he brings to the Vikings, and that likely won’t change.

Ironically, coming out of college (San Jose State) seven years ago, Oliver was known as a tight end who could catch the football with the best of them but would need a lot of refinement in blocking. To an extent, that scouting report has flipped.

What Could Make This Ranking Look Too Low – – or Too High

No. 29 for Oliver will be too high if he’s rendered touchdown-less by opposing defenses or if the Vikings simply fail to fulfill the promise of running the football at a more balanced clip. After all, paying a blocking tight end top-tier TE2 money inside a pass-happy offense might seem a bit strange to the naked eye. In fact, some Vikings fans insist that Oliver is overpaid now and bemoaned his extension in June 2025.

Conversely, if the aforementioned Hockenson were to miss games and Minnesota did not sign a free-agent tight end like Darren Waller or trade for one like Michael Mayer of the Las Vegas Raiders, Oliver would be called up for TE1 duty. Depending on the number of games, if Oliver held down the fort, catching passes from Murray or McCarthy and scoring touchdowns, he could scale this list by a few spots. Generally speaking, a productive TE1 in O’Connell’s offense is vital.

Behind Oliver on the depth chart are Ben Yurosek and Gavin Bartholomew, who will duel at training camp for the TE3 spot and did not make the cut in VikesNow‘s Top 40.

Next in the Countdown

If you’ve missed any of the countdown, don’t sweat it. Here’s how we got to No. 29:

Next on the list is defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, who claimed at minicamp that he could explore outside linebacker duty this season. If so, an OLB3 role for Ingram-Dawkins could become surprisingly critical.

The Vikings’ first regular season game is 46 days away.

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VikesNow Verdict: Oliver won’t pile up targets, but his blocking and redzone usefulness make him more important than a normal TE2. If Minnesota finally commits to a stronger running game, his value will become even more obvious in 2026.
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About The Author

Dustin Baker

Dustin Baker is the co-founder and editor of VikesNow, a novelist, a writer at CBS Sports, and a political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders, is out now, along with his debut thriller, The Motor Route. He hosts VikesNow on YouTube and has followed the Minnesota Vikings intently since 1996. Guilty pleasures include peanut butter ice cream, The Sopranos, Basset Hounds, and The Doors.

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