2026 Minnesota Vikings in Three Players
The offseason is upon us. Let's take a look at all 32 teams.
Onto the 21st edition of our offseason series.
Instead of reviewing all 32 drafts and adding casual commentary, I will be doing this instead.
We will go through every single team, in alphabetical order, and quickly discuss three players:
a favorite free agent signing
a favorite draft pick
and a player already entrenched on the roster
Not necessarily the best, or the top, or the one's who will play the biggest role, just one of choice.
The Minnesota Vikings are up.
Free Agent Signing
CB James Pierre
Pierre is a former UDFA that has played his entire 7 year career in Pittsburgh.
He saw a career high 5 starts in 2025, and is projected to start for Minnesota in 2025.
The Vikings gave the nearly 30 year old CB a 2 year, $8.5m contract in free agency.
Here is a cut-up of the good from Pierre's 2025 season.
This entire article series started because I wanted to discuss James Pierre, who I believed to be the best free agent signing of the offseason. Him turning 30 before Week 2 makes me turn my head a little, but I wouldn't expect Pierre to decline at 30, as his body has not gone through what other 30 year olds in the NFL have.
Pierre has only played 2,668 snaps in his career(half of those on special teams).
His former teammate Jalen Ramsey had 7,600 snaps under his belt before age 30, arguably when he started to decline. I think that matters as much as age.
Minnesota had a great free agent signing at CB last offseason in Isaiah Rodgers, and I believe they have replicated this with James Pierre.
Pierre has good movement skills. He has the ability to mirror route runners in all phases.
He can also afford to play conservatively, because Pierre has elite closing ability. He closes so quickly on receivers when being targeted. This allows him to play with some cushion, rather than being grabby and physical throughout the route.
In addition to his closing ability, he plays the ball well. One INT last year, but 3 other close calls on the sidelines. He also had 11 PDs in just 5 starts, those are elite numbers.
I think Pierre is really all you want in a cover corner, and I assume he is scheme diverse based on his playstyle and athleticism.
The problem Pierre could run into in Minnesota is his tackling.
He's not a particularly good tackler. Bigger guys can run through him, and he can get lost in open space. Pierre seems to just go low every time and just pray, but that pray fails often.
With the Vikings being such a blitz heavy defense, Pierre will be in many situations where he'll have to tackle a checkdown in the open field, with the LBs having vacated.
But this is really the only concern I have about Pierre.
A sneaky good, and very cheap, pickup at CB for the Vikings, I believe Pierre will play starting snaps for Minnesota all season. He can also help the Vikings stay in the top 10 range of turnovers forced, and make-up for the loss of pass rush depth by being able to cover for longer periods.
A good signing on a good defense.
Draftee
DT Domonique Orange
Orange was the 82nd pick of this years' draft, coming out of Iowa State.
"Big Citrus" spent all four years of college at Iowa State, starting 24 games over his final 3 seasons. He put up 1 sack and 7 TFLs in those seasons, and was Third-team All-Big 12 as a senior.
Here is a cut-up of Orange's 2025 season, courtesy of @BengalsBrews on Twitter/X.
The Vikings seriously lacked a player like Orange in 2025. DC Brian Flores defense benefits from having a space eating nose tackle, especially with surrounding interior players such as Levi Drake Rodriguez and Jalen Redmond, two emerging stars. They benefit from playing with a true nose tackle, and Minnestoa did not have this last season.
So the Vikings drafted two this year. Caleb Banks was the 1st round pick of Minnesota. In a perfect world, Banks is a modern nose who has the size to eat space in the run game, but the athleticism and ability to slide to a 2i or even 3 technique and be an effective pass rusher. Think about Byron Murphy, Dexter Lawrence, even Derrick Brown and Jordan Davis(kind of). This is why Banks went in Round 1 despite a complicated history of foot injuries.
As an "insurance", and because he's a very good football player, the Vikings snagged Orange in the 3rd round. If Banks is healthy, I anticipate Orange playing a small rotational role. But let's talk about what he offers in said role.
Orange weighs over 320lbs and possesses a good reach and big hands.
He pairs this with an incredibly strong upper body, blockers are effected when struck by Orange.
He also is explosive in the lower half, with a quick step that allows him to dart through the line of scrimmage and have an impact in the backfield.
The anchor is strong as well, being able to absorb blockers and just sit in the gap.
Orange has the ability to fight off any block. Whether by sitting in the gap, popping the offensive lineman back, splitting the gaps and reaching into the backfield, Orange has an answer for all blocking schemes and assignments.
As a pass rusher, Orange essentially offers nothing. Maybe a coach sees something because of all the positive tools he has that Orange utilizes in the run game, and believes they can translate some of that to pass rush, but it's likely Orange is more of a traditional NT in the NFL.
Domonique Orange is a picture-perfect nose tackle. He can hold his gap, but also has the quickness to penetrate the line of scrimmage, the ability to reach ball carriers, and is largely unaffected by all types of blocks. He won't be asked to contribute as a rusher, so I think this is a beautiful pick for Minnesota to fill in a missing piece on their defensive line.
Orange may not see the field much with the Banks selection, but if he does, I feel confident that Orange will have a positive impact.
In-House Player
C Blake Brandel
Brandel is a former 6th round pick who has spent his entire 6 year career in Minnesota.
He has played all 5 spots on the offensive line, and projects to start at center for the Vikings this year, following Ryan Kelly's retirement.
Here is a cut-up of the good from Brandel's play at center in 2025.
Minnesota gave up the third highest pressure rate and second most sacks in 2025. They were banged up, with every offensive lineman, minus RG Will Fries, missing at least 3 games.
The run blocking seemed to be better than the pass protection.
The offensive line has potential.
They have two bookend tackles, with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill.
Will Fries was a good free agency signing in the 2025 offseason at RG, and Donovan Jackson was their 1st round pick in 2025, starting at LG.
In a way, it's up to Blake Brandel to tie it all together.
Brandel stands at 6'7, 310lbs. Having fairly rare height and length for a center, Brandel was a college OT.
To start, he's a good snapper. This seems like a guarantee, but for a plug-and-play offensive lineman, having cleans snaps is a legitimate plus. I would not worry about him sending any over 5'8 Kyler Murray's head, although that is a big adjustment.
Brandel is not the cleanest player of all time.
He doesn't always have great footwork. It shows up when he ends up lunging in the run game and occasionally being off balance in pass protection. It can be an ugly look when he's engaged in a block in space and trying to move a defender. Brandel will sometimes overstep in the run game and leave himself exposed.
It can be tough for Brandel to reach his assignments on outside zone and screen plays. However, in my opinion, it's a little ridiculous to ask the center to be getting out to the numbers for his blocking assignment. I don't blame Brandel there, but it does expose his non-elite movement skills.
Brandel is decent in pass protection. He can occasionally take on solo assignments, but will get blown back once in a while.
He is very good at picking up stunts. He knows how to neutralize LBs lined up in the A-gap presnap, making it easier on himself and his guards to deal with the movement of the defensive line.
Brandel is also very good at dominating his double teams, an important skill for a center. Neutralizes any threat in pass protection, and can co-pancake in the run game.
Brandel is not a bad player. But I am worried he doesn't have the movement skills necessary to have success on the assignments Kevin O'Connell asks of his centers. The Vikings run game will likely be a lot in between the tackles, though, so I am not worried about their success on the ground.
Brandel should be good enough in pass protection, especially with the guards surrounding him, for Minnesota to be improved in 2025. The lackluster statistics is largely due to All-Pro LT Christian Darrisaw missing 7 games. I am curious how Kyler Murray looks throwing behind a 6'7 center.
Thanks for reading through our 21st edition of previewing all 32 teams in 3 players! We are working our way to be completed by the time the preseason begins!
Let me know who else on the Vikings is worth monitoring this season, good or bad!
Stay tuned for more NFL and 49ers articles, news, and opinions!
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