The Minnesota Vikings have big plans in 2026, and a lot of it stems from their offensive line. Firing Chris Kuper was one of the few changes the Vikings made to their coaching staff last offseason, and his replacement, Keith Carter, has drawn rave reviews for his directness and aggressive coaching style.
For a team that has caused its share of angst in the trenches, Carter’s approach has been a welcome addition. But the Vikings may be playing with fire depending on how long it lasts.
Carter has a long history of wearing out his welcome at his previous coaching stops, and while he was in the room as an assistant offensive line coach one year ago, his past and the limits of human anatomy could have the revamped offensive line burst into flames by the end of the season.
Keith Carter’s past should be a lingering concern for the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive line
Carter’s resume has plenty of success dating back to his time with the Tennessee Titans (2018-22) and New York Jets. Leading a unit that paved the way for Derrick Henry to lead the NFL in rushing twice (2019, 2020) and run for 2,027 yards in a 16-game season in 2020, he left for New York to develop another road-grading group in front of Breece Hall, but it didn’t come without controversy.
Former Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan criticized Carter for his grueling practice noting that it wore down veterans and led to injuries. While it didn’t appear right away, the effect built up over time and led for the relationship between him and his players to deteriorate.
“Keith and I have had a very up-and-down relationship, and I think it’s ended at a much higher point,” Lewan told Michael Gallagher of The Nashville Post in 2023. “Like when Keith first got there, the way he came in and the way he was trying to act towards everybody, like very disrespectful, very authoritative but in a very like dictatorship-type of way. Keith grew every single year, and he did [have impossible standards … Sometimes, you’d just want a pat on the back, and you’d never really get that.
“I just wish he focused a little bit more on taking care of the older players … Those practices are hard, and they wear on your body, and they wear your tires out really fast, and [Carter could see it toward the end of the season sometimes.”
If Carter had learned any lessons from his time in Tennessee, it didn’t appear he brought them to the Jets. According to a New York Post report, Carter was wildly unpopular for screaming at players, and even head coach Robert Saleh admitted that “sometimes the message gets lost in the tone.”
As a result, former Atlanta Falcons fullback Pat DiMarco said that Carter was “nobody’s favorite coach” after he led the running back room in 2017, and Hall joined the party when Lewan lamented Mike Vrabel’s firing in 2024, saying he “loved his coaching staff (besides Keith Carter).”
Carter’s approach could become an endurance test for the Vikings
That history raised eyebrows when the Vikings brought Carter in as an assistant offensive line coach last year, and they were even higher when he was promoted this spring. But the Vikings have given Carter a positive review, most notably one from Brian O’Neill at the beginning of camp.
“This is a guy that loves football,” O’Neill said via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “I mean, loves it. Obviously, everyone does if they’re in football, but you can just feel it every single day in a walk-through, in a practice, in a meeting. And from a physical standpoint, the bar has been raised a little higher for us. And we knew that was probably going to be the case.
“But it’s not like we were setting NFL rushing records and protecting the best in the whole entire NFL [in previous seasons]. So if there’s a little bit of a different approach, we’re going to be receptive to it because we want to be better.”
Being receptive to coaching is a good sign, and it showed up during the Vikings’ preseason opener against the New York Giants. But a better question is how long the receptiveness will last.
Christian Darrisaw is coming off a season where he was in and out of the lineup due to a multiligament knee injury. Will Fries recently admitted to Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller that he’s finally feeling like himself after suffering a broken tibia during the 2024 season. Donovan Jackson is in his second season but looked like a grizzled veteran during an interview with KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, and Blake Brandel is sailing snaps as training camp continues.
Aside from the physical wear and tear that could sap the running game as the season progresses, it could get even worse if the Vikings don’t win games. Minnesota has safeguards in place, as Kevin O’Connell is known as a player-friendly coach and the new assistant head coach earned positive marks in the same regard as offensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins.
But Carter’s coaching style will be a test of endurance for this year’s team and it could backfire as the upcoming season rolls along.
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