Training camp preview: Offensive line

A deep dive into the trenches as we approach training camp

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By Matthew Coller

For Part 3 of our series previewing the Minnesota Vikings training camp roster, we dive into the offensive line…

The Depth Chart

LT, Christian Darrisaw — When healthy, the Vikings’ veteran left tackle can dominate in both the run and pass because of his size, length and athletic prowess. The Vikings are hoping that he can return to the peak of his powers and drive the offensive line from the most important position.

LG, Donovan Jackson — Going into his second season, the team is looking for the former Ohio State star to have things click and raise his level of play to become a difference maker. Jackson’s IQ, size, athleticism and hard-nosed play style project to him becoming a force. They will be aiming to get him to that point quickly at a position that is harder than ever.

C, Blake Brandel — It’s been quite a journey for Brandel in purple. He began his career as a swing tackle and then bumped inside in 2024 as a full-time left guard. After the Vikings picked Jackson, Brandel was relegated back to the bench. His stint didn’t last long

RG, Will Fries — In his second year as a Viking, Fries will have an entire healthy offseason to lock into the offense and get himself in shape for an entire season. He is entering a pivotal season in his career because his cap hit is set to take a big jump after this year and the team will need to decide whether they are going forward with him.

RT, Brian O’Neill — As reliable as they come, O’Neill enters his ninth season as a Viking. He is a key part of the team’s leadership group and brings his athletic prowess to the run game and technical work to pass protection. His contract will be a story but O’Neill as a player is an enormous part of the team’s core.

IOL, Michael Jurgens — Last year Jurgens saw the first action of his career, playing 309 snaps. He struggled with penalties but otherwise performed like you would expect from a replacement-level backup center. He will need to impress during camp or the Vikings might be looking for a different backup for Blake Brandel.

IOL, Gavin Garhardt — A rookie seventh-round pick, Garhardt is very experienced as a college player. He played in 53 games over five seasons for Cincinnati. In the best-case scenario, he could provide depth at center and potentially guard. He is most likely earmarked for the practice squad.

IOL, Henry Byrd — The 27-year-old lineman has been in the NFL since 2023. He was a UDFA signing of the Broncos and picked up by the Vikings after he was released in August 2023. After a short stint in San Francisco, he came back to the Vikings late in the 2023 season and has been on the practice squad for the last two years. They have kept him around for a reason but will he finally earn a spot on the 53 this time around?

IOL, Joe Huber — Huber was a standout during the preseason last year and ended up playing in one game against the Cleveland Browns. It was a tough outing but the UDFA did show in camp and preseason last year that he has some potential as a backup interior lineman.

IOL, Vershon Lee — Lee is a former South Carolina guard who signed as a UDFA last year and spent the season on the practice squad outside of being activated for the game against Cleveland (he played on special teams). Lee played reasonably well at right and left guard and center during the preseason. He will compete for a deep depth spot.

OT, Walter Rouse — The 2024 sixth-round pick was called upon for 88 snaps last year during the regular season due to injuries. The Vikings made two acquisitions in the offseason at tackle, putting Rouse’s future in an uncertain place. He worked at guard during the spring. Is that where he fits in or could this be his last camp in purple?

OT, Caleb Tiernan — The Vikings’ third-round pick is very experienced as he enters the NFL with 52 games played at Northwestern. His athleticism and production were worthy of a higher draft pick but there were concerns about his length. That may eventually cause him to be bumped inside but for now he’s in line to be a swing tackle.

OT, Ryan Van Demark — The Vikings signed Van Demark as a Restricted Free Agent. He played 557 snaps over the last two seasons and split between left and right tackle. We should expect to see him starting as the swing tackle behind Christian Darrisaw.

OL, Tristan Leigh — Leigh was a three-year starter on Clemson’s offensive line and is a former five-star recruit. He was All-ACC honorable mention in each of the last two years. He is athletically gifted but his numbers in college were underwhelming. He only had a 49.5 PFF grade in 2025.

OL, Delby Lemieux — The Dartmouth lineman played tackle in college but is expected to move to the interior in the NFL. He played almost 2,000 snaps and is considered a quality athlete but he will need to pass block inside better than in college in order to have a chance.

OL, Tomas Rimac — Rimac moved from left tackle to guard when he transferred from West Virginia to Virginia Tech. In the second half of the season his numbers improved greatly. His size, 6-foot-6, 317 pounds, makes him an interesting prospect to develop.

The numbers to know

— Last year Christian Darrisaw finished with a 65.6 PFF grade, which is by far the lowest mark of his career. The last three seasons he’s been over 80, consistently putting him in the top-15 graded tackles in the NFL. The Vikings desperately need him to return to that level of play. It clearly had a trickle-down effect on the entire offense in 2025.

— In terms of average annual value, the most comparable right tackles to Brian O’Neill are Carolina’s Tyler Moton and Cleveland veteran Tytus Howard. Last year Moton signed a two-year, $44 million extension with $36.8 million guaranteed and Howard signed a two-year, $45 million deal this offseason with $34.5 million guaranteed.

O’Neill is likely to be aiming for a little higher AAV and possibly more years, so we could see the Vikings shoot for another year longer than his colleagues.

Last year, O’Neill ranked 13th by PFF among all tackles.

— In his rookie season, Donovan Jackson graded 36th out of 61 starters at guard. That’s decent for a rookie but it deserves more context. He was the second highest graded rookie guard in terms of pass protection and third overall. He also did not allow a sack after Week 9.

— Overall, Will Fries had an average season. He finished 34th of 61 starters in PFF grade and played all 17 games despite coming off a brutal injury in 2024. Missing a big part of his offseason may have impacted Fries’ ability to play at a high level for the entire season. In the last six weeks of the season, he ranked 47th in pass blocking whereas he was 12th through the first 12 weeks of the season. A fully healthy Fries could play up to his contract this year.

— Compared to his peers, Blake Brandel was OK as a pass blocker in his limited action last year. He ranked 15th by PFF in pass protection and that’s despite playing his first two games against Cleveland and Philadelphia. His run blocking as to improve with the new system as he was only 30th of 33.

— Ryan Van Demark played 312 snaps for the Bills last year and finished with a 74.0 PFF grade. His run blocking was particularly impressive (74.3) but his pass protection left some to be desired (65.6). He gave up nine QB pressures in 147 pass blocking snaps, which was only good for the 55th of 95 efficiency rate among part-time or full-time tackles.

— Caleb Tiernan had the ninth best PFF pass blocking grade in college football in 2025 and the fifth best grade in 2024.

— In Michael Jurgens’ numbers as a pass protector and run blocker were passable. Out of 41 full-time and part-time centers last year, he was 27th in pass blocking and 27th in run blocking. The issue was that he committed five penalties in just 309 snaps.

Training camp storylines to watch