The Minnesota Vikings banked a 1-0 record in the preseason on Saturday, downing the New York Giants at their house by a score of 13-10. Over at VikesNow, we continue our most important players countdown, with right guard Will Fries checking in at No. 16.
There’s no other way to put it: Fries needs a bounceback season.
Fries Must Prove 2025 Was an Outlier
Fries’s Role in 2026
Fries has one job this season, and it’s straightforward: make the gargantuan contract he signed in 2025 – – five years and $87 million – – seem worthwhile. He did not perform poorly in 2025, his first season in Minnesota, but he emphatically was not worth five years and $87 million. He played a guard that a team can find for five years and $37 million. Maybe $27 million.
The 27-year-old is set to be Minnesota’s undisputed starting right guard once again in 2026, slotting in between Blake Brandel and Brian O’Neill. He was the only player from Minnesota’s projected 2025 front to start all 17 games, despite the unit cycling through an astonishing 26 different combinations around him. This season, Fries must contribute more than just good attendance. The Vikings aim to establish a more powerful running game, and the 6-foot-6 guard is expected to be a key force in achieving that.
Be healthy, improve, and live up to the big contract – – is Fries’s outlook.
What Success Looks Like
Fries finished his maiden voyage season in the Twin Cities with a 61.8 Pro Football Focus grade. At his price point, that mark must be around 71.8 or 81.8, not 61.8. Success is merely improvement for Fries this season.
It does not require Fries to become an All-Pro. He just has to play better than last year. With a healthy offseason and another year in the system, he’s fresh out of excuses. If Fries can protect the passer and bolster the Vikings’ run game, then 2026 should mark a strong comeback for him.
Fries said upon arriving in Minnesota last year, “There’s no expectation when you’re a seventh-rounder. Maybe you make the roster, maybe you don’t, maybe you’re on the practice squad.”
“But I always knew that I belonged in the NFL, and I knew I belonged to be a starter, and I knew I could play at a really high level. And that’s what I expect to bring here, is to play at a high level and be the best I can for this team.”
Carrying that previous hunger into 2026 couldn’t hurt.
What Could Make This Ranking Look Too Low – – or Too High
More of the same – – that’s what would make this No. 16 ranking too high for Fries. He ranked this high in the first place because of the team’s investment in him a year and a half ago. Fries’s average performances in 2023 and 2025 – – he was a total stud for five games in 2024, which landed him the big contract – – raise questions about his ultimate potential.
Minnesota must determine if his current production justifies the money. If he plays an average clip again in 2026, fans will be checking to see his dead cap penalty in February 2027.
On the other hand, No. 16 could appear quite conservative if Fries’s excellent 2024 performance was a preview rather than an anomaly. A return to that form would give Minnesota a potentially high-caliber guard alongside O’Neill, turning the right side into a genuine strength – – also known as Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s plan in March 2025.
Next in the Countdown
The countdown enters the Top 15 on Tuesday. Here’s a peek back at the journey.
40 | Myles Price (WR)
39 | Tai Felton (WR)
38 | Demond Claiborne (RB)
37 | Caleb Tiernan (OT)
36 | Bo Richter (OLB)
35 | Theo Jackson (S)
34 | Ivan Pace Jr. (LB)
33 | Levi Drake Rodriguez (DT)
32 | Ryan Van Demark (OT)
31 | Charles Demmings (CB)
30 | Jakobe Thomas (S)
29 | Josh Oliver (TE)
28 | Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (DL)
27 | Jake Golday (LB)
26 | Domonique Orange (DT)
25 | James Pierre (CB)
24 | Eric Wilson (LB)
23 | Jay Ward (S)
22 | Jauan Jennings (WR)
21 | Aaron Jones (RB)
20 | J.J. McCarthy (QB)
19 | Isaiah Rodgers (CB)
18 | Josh Metellus (S)
17 | Blake Brandel (C)
16 | Will Fries (RG)
No. 15 is a fan-favorite: All-Pro kicker Will Reichard, who has solved 30 years of Vikings kicking woes as of late.
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VikesNow Verdict: Fries doesn’t need to become an All-Pro to justify this ranking, but Minnesota needs more than it received in 2025. If he rebounds toward his Indianapolis form, the Vikings’ offensive line could finally become one of the offense’s strengths.
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