July 26, 2026, 11:03 a.m. CT
The Minnesota Vikings have had a hard time establishing the run in recent years under head coach Kevin O’Connell. Despite their best efforts and bringing in various players, it has simply not panned out as a big part of their offense.
But now, heading into 2026, the run game seems to be poised to play a larger role, it almost has to. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote in his training camp preview of the team that the run game for the team is worth keeping an eye on as the weeks pass by. Seifert writes, “The Vikings made some incremental improvement in their running game last season after trading for Mason, but O’Connell went looking for more substantial elevation this offseason. He hired longtime NFL offensive line coach Frank Smith as his assistant head coach, and also promoted Keith Carter to offensive line coach, with an eye toward better scheme execution across the board. It will be worth watching progress here, especially as it relates to creating the conditions for an explosive run.”
He also points out that the Vikings are tied for the NFL’s fewest rushes of at least 20 yards (23).
The passing game already has a lot of responsibility to help this team achieve success; it is long past time for the run game to be more involved and pull their proverbial weight.
