During Kevin O'Connell's tenure as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, the team has struggled to run the ball efficiently at a consistent level. Well, O'Connell apparently wants everyone to know that the Vikings are making a concerted effort to turn the team's rushing attack into an effective part of the offense next season.
During an appearance on the "Dan Patrick Show" on Thursday, O'Connell took some time in between talking about Minnesota's quarterback competition to let it be known that the team has placed a significant emphasis on improving how their offense runs to the football.
"We want to try to get back to the standard of having the quarterback position be a driving force behind us, winning by doing their job, by hopefully activating the great players they get to play with.
We got a great defense. Brian Flores has done an unbelievable job. If we can limit giving the football away and generate some explosives and get a run game going, which, although no one's really talking about that, has been a major emphasis of this offseason, both from a coaching staff standpoint and a player development and offensive development standpoint."
What did the Minnesota Vikings do this offseason to try to improve their rushing attack?
We probably won't know if O'Connell has adjusted anything schematically until the Vikings hit the field in Week 1 of the regular season, so all we can really go off of is what the team did during the last few months to tell if any changes were made in order to help improve Minnesota's rushing offense.
Personnel-wise, the Vikings' 2026 running back room looks very similar to how it did in 2025. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are at the top of the depth chart, and Zavier Scott will be competing for more snaps this summer.
The most significant changes in Minnesota's running back room this offseason were the departures of Ty Chandler and fullback C.J. Ham and the additions of Demond Claiborne and fullback Max Bredeson in this year's NFL Draft.
Vikings fans are optimistic about both Claiborne and Bredeson, but the impact on the team's offense might not be as immediate as some are hoping.
When it comes to Minnesota's coaching staff, the changes made in this area this offseason are what likely have the best chance to help improve the team's rushing attack.
After Mike Pettine "retired", the Vikings hired former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith as the team's new assistant head coach. Smith wasn't the Dolphins' play-caller during his tenure with the franchise, but in two of his four years with Miami, the offense finished with a top-five ranking in yards per rushing attempt.
Minnesota also has a new offensive line coach this season, as they parted with Chris Kuper after four years and replaced him with Keith Carter, who was the Vikings' assistant offensive line coach in 2025.
Carter has been a longtime NFL assistant with stints as a running backs coach, offensive line coach, and run game coordinator. Since 2017, when he was the Atlanta Falcons running backs coach, the offenses he's been a part of have consistently ranked around the top 15 in rushing yards per attempt.
Can Carter and Smith take what they've learned from other teams and use it to help improve Minnesota's rushing attack next season? To be determined on that, but O'Connell clearly wants everyone to know that the Vikings are at least trying to fix this aspect of their offense.
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