Examining the Vikings' 2026 Outlook Now That the 53-Man Roster Is Set

For most of his career, Kyler Murray has been a lightning rod.

Whether it was being drafted No. 1 overall by Arizona despite the Cardinals drafting Josh Rosen the previous season to the ups and downs with Kliff Kingsbury to the battles with the front office over his contract to the resurgence of his career in 2024 to the team benching him in 2025, Murray has always been at the center of debate over how good he really is and whether he’s actually capable of leading a franchise.

From all indications of Vikings training camp, he’s going to get the best shot he’s ever had this year to prove that he can be that guy.

While much of training camp coverage was centered around J.J. McCarthy and whether he had a real chance to win the job and then the subsequent fallout after he failed to win the position, Murray quietly put together a good summer as the Vikings’ quarterback.

He couldn’t quite be mistaken for prime Fran Tarkenton, but he operated the offense well overall and connected with Justin Jefferson numerous times, including a “final drive” situational drill against the Ravens in joint practices. That ended camp with a solid intersquad scrimmage that also featured a bomb to Jefferson and a pretty touchdown pass to Jordan Addison in the back of the end zone.

Taking pressure off Kyler Murray's shoulders

The Vikings’ offensive setup opens the door for Murray to play quarterback rather than playing Superman. In 2024, for example, he had 614 drop-backs, the 10th most in the NFL. Murray was asked to drop back to pass more than Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson that year. That’s not exactly a recipe for success.

What the Vikings are hoping is that improving their run game, leaning on their defense and having Murray simply distribute the ball to playmakers within the system will give him a chance to maximize his performance from the pocket rather than feeling like he has to be a magician half the time.

On paper, it makes a lot of sense. In practice, it looked pretty good. But how good can it be? Now that the Vikings have solidified their roster, we can see the high points and question marks.

Breaking down the Vikings 53-man roster's outlook

On the plus side for Murray, there may not be a better receiving corps in the NFL than Jefferson, Addison, Jauan Jennings, T.J. Hockenson and pass-catching running back Aaron Jones. As far as offensive lines go, the Vikings have a lot invested in the group with two top-notch tackles, a first-round guard and an $18 million guard.

Center remains a concern due to some snapping issues, and it could limit the Vikings from being an elite O-line, but they’ve got enough to be good.

Blake Brandel no helmet. — Blake Brandel's questionable performance throughout the summer has played into the Vikings' need for center help. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Depth is a concern for the Vikings’ O-line on the interior, but swing tackle Ryan Van Demark had a strong camp, as did the depth receivers Tai Felton and Myles Price. The running back position also may have some trouble if they suffer injuries, with only sixth-rounder Demond Claiborne backing up Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones.

Based on Murray’s past and this group’s capability to elevate its quarterback, it’s not unreasonable to put the Vikings in the top-10 ballpark offensively.

Last year, the 49ers were the 10th-best scoring team with 437 points, nearly 100 more than Minnesota scored. But in terms of passing Expected Points Added, the 2025 Vikings passing game was worth minus-40.3 points, according to Pro-Football Reference. Teams like the Marcus Mariota-led Commanders and sputtering Eagles were both more than 100 points better through the air.

It feels odd to say that quarterback isn’t the most potentially volatile part of the team, but there is a good argument for that when we look at the defense.

With all respect to defensive coordinator Brian Flores, he will be fighting quite the battle to get the Vikings back into the top-10 again in 2026.

Brian Flores looks on during game. — Vikings DC Brian Flores might be dealing with an uphill battle throughout the 2026 campaign. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The preseason revealed that rookie Caleb Banks isn’t likely to play a huge role on the defensive line during his rookie season; rather, he will need a lot of development time after foot injuries. The D-line as a whole is unproven and edge rusher Dallas Turner is getting his first shot at full-time duty.

The corners and linebackers have veteran players, but the safety unit features two players in Theo Jackson and Jay Ward who have less than a full season’s worth of career work. Depth at most positions relies on draft picks like Domonique Orange, Jake Golday and Chuck Demmings.

Flores deserves all the benefit of the doubt that he’s earned over the years, but defenses can be fragile. If the Vikings are completely healthy, there’s no reason to put them below the top 10. A few injuries and it might not be easy.

Last year, the Vikings surrendered the second-fewest passing yards per game, in part because teams didn’t need to pass against them due to the offensive struggles. It could be a very different-looking ballgame if the defense gets into shootouts.

Sticking with the mathematical route, the difference between the Vikings’ fifth-ranked pass defense EPA in 2025 and the 11th-ranked was only about 30 points. If they can hold on for dear life and get strong performances out of players like Turner, Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, Byron Murphy Jr. and Josh Metellus,

Theoretically, the Vikings can be a serious team in an NFC North division filled with good-yet-flawed teams. The final roster reveals that they likely need Murray to be the best version of himself we’ve seen in order to get to the top of the North.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time in recent memory that the Vikings reinvigorated a quarterback’s career.

Get Vikings On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google