20 predictions for the 2026 Vikings
How many catches for the pass catchers? How will the QBs perform? This is Purple Insider's crystal ball
By Matthew Coller
Last week, we looked at every team in the NFL except the Minnesota Vikings and made predictions for how their seasons would turn out. Today, we try to simulate the Vikings’ season with predictions, looking at players from every position group and taking a reasoned guess at what they will do in 2026.
Off we go….
Subscribers, please drop your own predictions in the comments.
20 — TJ Hockenson bounces back, catching 80 passes for 795 yards and 6 touchdowns
Last year, Vikings quarterbacks struggled to find Hockenson as he only caught 51 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns but during the five-game stretch where Carson Wentz was playing, Hock played at a 78-reception pace over 17 games.
Tight ends’ production is often a product of their offense and quarterback’s tendency to look underneath and we have seen that play out with Hockenson over the years. During his 18 games with Kirk Cousins at QB, the Pro Bowl tight end caught 113 passes for 997 yards and six touchdowns.
It’s possible that Kyler Murray threw to his tight end in Arizona Trey McBride at an incredibly high volume because the Cardinals were missing high quality pass catchers but in 2024 with Murray tossing the pigskin McBride caught 111 passes for 1,146 yards. He was on a 99-reception pace before Murray got hurt early in 2025.
In 2024, Murray was one of the most accurate underneath passers in the NFL, completing 83% of throws that were between 0-10 yards. That’s where Hockenson lives.
With defenses spending a lot of their time focusing on Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings, it’s safe to assume that Kevin O’Connell will be advocating that Murray keeps moving the sticks whenever possible by finding Hock.
Because of those weapons, the ceiling for targets and receptions might not be All-Pro level high but Hockenson showed last year when he got opportunities that he can still make plays and be a reliable pass catcher. Expect a bounce-back year.
19 — WR Dillon Bell and LB Keli Lawson are the UDFAs to make the Vikings roster out of camp
Minicamp darlings do not always become star players once the pads come on but the opportunity exists for WR Dillon Bell to make the roster with a quality camp. The receiving corps has five spots that are pretty clearly set with Tai Felton and Myles Price both expected to make it because of special teams even if they don’t shine as wide receivers in camp.
But if they don’t give the Vikings’ coaching staff confidence that they can step into a WR3 role at a moment’s notice, they will need one other player who can run routes and make plays on the squad. The early favorite for that by far is Dillon Bell. He seemed to have some chemistry with Kyler Murray in minicamp practices and showed some explosiveness that made him a weapon at Georgia. If he can create separation from DBs when they are playing physically in camp, stand out in preseason games and offer something on the special teams side, there is a decent chance that he could make the squad as WR6.
The other pick Keli Lawson isn’t based on anything that I saw at minicamp because picking out linebackers when there’s no physical play is really hard. It’s more about the position he plays. In the new era of the NFL kickoff, teams need more players who can tackle. Heading into camp, the LB depth chart appears to be Cashman, Wilson, Golday, Pace Jr. and then it’s up in the air.
Lawson is 6-foot-4 and had a broad jump at his pro day that was better than anyone at the NFL Combine. He was also All-Academic, which tends to be a hint about guys making the team in a special teams role.
Picking the former UCF linebacker is more of a shot in the dark but it looks like somebody in that room is going to have a shot at the 53.
18 — The Vikings sign OLB Leonard Floyd, who plays 410 snaps and picks up 5.0 sacks
In 2024, we saw the Vikings open the door to a competition in training camp between several unproven cornerbacks. At the end of that competition, they elected to sign two veterans in Stephon Gilmore and Fabian Moreau.
The outside linebacker position could work the same way. Presently the Vikings have Ty Ingram-Dawkins, Bo Richter, Tyler Batty and Chazz Chambliss competing at OLB (and Eric Wilson plays there at times as well). We have seen in the past late-round picks or UDFAs emerge as surprising starters and then thrive under Brian Flores but if they aren’t wowed by the way that anyone steps up to the plate, they could make a summer acquisition.
Floyd makes the most sense because of his familiarity with O’Connell from the 2021 Rams and the fact he’s played in a 3-4 outside linebacker role for his entire career. He has settled nicely into a part-time position in the NFL over the last few years and still appears to have enough in the tank to help in a situational pass-rushing role.
Haason Reddick also makes sense as a similar type player.
17 — Jordan Mason becomes the bell cow running back and goes for 1,010 yards and scores eight touchdowns
Between 2024 and 2025, there are only seven running backs in the NFL that average more yards per carry than Jordan Mason. If O’Connell is serious about getting down to business with the running game, he will be leaning on Mason more, even if it comes along with pass protection/receiving shortcomings.
Last year there were plenty of examples to be found where the offense just needed more Mason. Opponents seemed very unhappy trying to tackle the bruising RB and he has a very good sense for how to hit gaps in the outside zone system. With Frank Smith hired from Miami and a new offensive line coach (and healthy O-line), Mason should be the guy that the offense starts with.
No matter how much belief you have in Kyler Murray or JJ McCarthy, it wouldn’t make much sense to foist the entire offense on either of their shoulders. Nothing makes a quarterback’s job easier than slamming a Marshawn Lynch look-a-like down their throats.
That doesn’t mean they brought back Aaron Jones for nothing but he’s going to be more effective in a more limited role to keep him fresh than he is being leaned upon heavily.
16 — CB Chuck Demmings is Mr. Mankato and considered a starting option potentially in 2027
Ah, Mr. Mankato.
Sometimes they turn out to be Adam Thielen, sometimes they turn out to be Audie Cole.
Cornerback is the perfect position for Mr. Mankato because a few camp and preseason pass breakups or interceptions will have the masses chanting your name. Demmings has things working in his favor, like the fact that he’s an underdog from Stephen F. Austin and has a huge personality.
Demmings also has real talent. He was one of the most athletic cornerbacks at the NFL Combine and could bring a different level of man-to-man coverage than the Vikings have had on the roster in some time. It’s unlikely that he’s going to see the field much in Year 1 but with uncertainty at CB in 2027, he will have a chance to prove he belongs in that discussion.
15 — Jordan Addison catches 57 passes for 789 yards and the Vikings decide to play things out on his fifth-year option rather than giving him an extension
The tough part about predicting Addison’s 2026 is that it’s easy to see him having a tremendous bounce-back year in which he goes for darn near 1,000 yards. He has the talent to do that but last year’s performance can’t entirely be blamed on the quarterbacks when Addison’s drop rate increased significantly.
Even if we take the drops out of the equation, with this many weapons on the field and a quarterback (regardless of who it is) that the Vikings may want to have throwing at lower volumes, it’s very plausible that Addison doesn’t reach the heights that he did when Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold were hucking the pigskin. Darnold threw for 4,300 yards whereas Murray has never reached 4,000 in his career. Plus his tendency to work underneath throws might take away from some of the downfield shots.
The Vikings would love Addison to have a huge season and have the difficult decision about whether to sign him to a big extension in the offseason but this type of performance would probably leave them in flux about his future. It’s very hard to pay two receivers and possibly a QB as well but it’s also not easy to give away a talented WR. So in this scenario, they would split the difference and play him on his fifth-year option in 2027.
14 — Jauan Jennings catches 43 passes for 487 yards and Tai Felton gets a decent amount of playing time, contributing 19 catches and setting himself up for the WR3 role into the future
Jennings is the type of receiver who could only see 65 targets and still have a huge impact on the game. When he was just a role player for the 49ers rather than one of their top two options, he lined up in the slot often and made big third-down catches and blocked his butt off. That seems more likely to be his role in Minnesota than what it’s been in San Fran lately, unless someone gets hurt and he has to play WR2.
If everyone is healthy, it’s hard to see how he would get enough targets to have a huge statistical season unless Murray/McCarthy really falls in love with his reliability as an underneath receiver.
If he only caught 43 passes for 487 yards, it would still be a hugely successful signing as the Vikings are paying under $10 million on the cap for Jennings’ services.
With Felton, yes it’s hard to judge based on minicamp, but he played well on special teams last year as a gunner and got a ton of practice reps to learn the offense at every position, so it’s fair to expect some progress. Felton has something that Jennings lacks that could give the Vikings an option to mix and match: Speed. They often used Jalen Nailor as a clearout receiver and ideally Felton would be able to do the same at times in 2026 and then take over WR3 in 2027.
13 — The Vikings offensive line plays together for 70% of games and ranks in the top seven by PFF. Blake Brandel is considered a solid option at center going forward and Donovan Jackson improves to a top-15 guard by PFF
There is no way to predict injuries but considering the typhoon of bad luck that they had last year, especially at left tackle with Christian Darrisaw’s knee injury. This time around, we assume that Darrisaw is going to be closer to full strength and right guard Will Fries will have the entire offseason to get his body in shape, unlike last offseason. Donovan Jackson should take another step after a successful Year 1.
The biggest wild card on the offensive line is Blake Brandel, who is starting at center for the first time in his career. In 2025, after he got through two incredibly tough opponents in Cleveland and Philly, he was able to get in a groove at center and perform at a high level as a pass blocker. After those two contests, he only allowed multiple QB pressures in one game and graded a 75 or above by PFF in pass blocking in six out of eight games.
Brandel’s experience in the offense is going to be vital. The fact that all five O-linemen are together from last year is a pretty big bonus. Expectations should be high.
12 — Caleb Banks plays 480 snaps, picks up 4.0 sacks and has a 62.0 PFF grade
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Purple Insider to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.