The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Houston Texans in their first preseason game of the 2025 season on Saturday afternoon. When the Vikings offense takes the field for the first time on Saturday, they are expected to have one of their big free agent acquisitions out there for them.
Will Fries, who came over to Minnesota from the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason, will reportedly make his Vikings and preseason debut on Saturday, according to KFXN-FM's Paul Allen. It will be his first in-game action since he broke his tibia last season and missed a substantial amount of time.
It should be a surreal moment for Fries when he takes the field and Minnesota fans are giving him a bunch of roars and cheers. Vikings fans have longed for the days of a really good offensive line, and Fries will definitely be a part of creating that.
With Will Fries, the Minnesota Vikings offensive line should be top five, if not one of the best in the NFL
It was apparent that when the Vikings lost two very upsetting games to the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams at the very end of the 2024 season, the team's offensive line was a huge problem. It also did not help them that Minnesota left tackle Christian Darrisaw tore his ACL last October and did not return the rest of the year.
But now with Darrisaw healthy, Brian O'Neill fully healthy, Donovan Jackson drafted, and Ryan Kelly and Fries signed as free agents, the Vikings' offensive line has the potential to be one of the best fronts in the NFL. They have a great combination of veteran talent, a rookie, and experience.
Sure, Jackson has College Football Playoff experience, not NFL playoff experience (that should hopefully change this year). But he is going to be learning from some of the current game's best blockers.
There could be some rust for Fries to shake off this weekend, as he is coming off an awful injury, and most players who recover from an injury as severe as his was tend to need a bit of a grace period during their first few weeks back on the field. But as the year goes on, Minnesota fans should be able to expect a heavy dose of consistency and power on a weekly basis.