The Vikings Are Trying to Make Their Running Game Look Like “The Expendables”

Fans had many problems with the 2025 Minnesota Vikings, but one of the sorest spots was the running game. The Vikings had an efficient running game last season, ranking tied for 10th in the NFL with 4.5 yards per carry. But Kevin O’Connell treated it like a plate of Brussels sprouts, ranking 27th with 410 rushing attempts.

Most times when the Vikings needed to convert a short-yardage situation, O’Connell preferred a throw downfield as opposed to a run up the middle. Fans probably rolled their eyes even harder when O’Connell highlighted his desire to provide more explosives in his offense, envisioning more throws sailing over Justin Jefferson's head.

But after last weekend’s draft, the picture of Minnesota's running game has become a little clearer. And it’s starting to look like the Vikings are ripping the page out of a script from The Expendables.

As most red-blooded Americans know, The Expendables is a franchise filled with violence and explosives. The cast is an All-Star roster full of action heroes from Jason Statham to Sylvester Stallone. In the four movies, a lot of people got beaten up, and a lot of things got blown up. It doesn’t look like something that could inspire an NFL team, but with the moves they’ve made, it appears that O’Connell isn’t afraid to throw a film on and rip open a case of light beer.

It started shortly after the season, after they fired offensive line coach Chris Kuper. Kuper’s inability to solidify the pocket's interior was well documented, and many assumed that was why O’Connell decided to fire him. But it was also a lack of production on the ground. The Vikings ranked in the top 20 in rushing offense only once in four seasons under him.

Minnesota hired Keith Carter as his replacement, a move that didn’t come without controversy. Former offensive lineman Taylor Lewan described him as a “dictatorship-style” coach with a large ego from his time with the Tennessee Titans. Several New York Jets players opposed the decision to retain Carter after his first season as offensive line coach in 2023. But what O’Connell probably saw was a man who knew how to get the most out of his running game.

The Titans were one of the league’s best rushing attacks while Carter was there, averaging 139.9 yards per game from 2018 to 2022. Derrick Henry also won back-to-back rushing titles, including 2,027 yards in 2020. While the Jets are bad, they still averaged 4.3 yards per carry in 2024.

We don't know how Carter’s dynamic will work in Minnesota’s locker room, but there were no reports of him causing a distraction during his work as the assistant offensive line coach last season. Hiring Carter was a good start to revamp the ground game. Adding Frank Smith was the next step.

Smith is considered an elite mind when it comes to crafting a running game. He did a tremendous job working alongside Mike McDaniel as the Miami Dolphins' offensive coordinator. After a modest first season in 2022, when Miami ranked 25th in rushing offense, it took off in 2023, ranking sixth with 135.8 rushing yards per game and averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

Raheem Mostert played the role of Frankenstein in this offense, running for 1,012 yards and 18 touchdowns during his age-31 season. De’Von Achane was also a dynamic weapon, with 800 yards, eight touchdowns, and 7.8 yards per carry during his rookie season.

You don’t produce those numbers without some violence in the trenches. Still, Smith also brings the “good cop” vibe to Carter’s “bad cop” after being voted the NFL’s top offensive coordinator as part of the NFL Players Association survey in 2023. Both coaches form a two-headed braintrust, but they still needed the players to run the scheme effectively.

Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones return for another year in the backfield, but the draft was another important part that ties everything together. The selection of Michigan fullback Max Bredeson in the fifth round of the draft may have raised some eyebrows due to his position. But his highlight tapes look like he was imported straight out of The Program. 

Beredson’s punishing blocks should clear the way for whoever is in the backfield to run for miles, and it led to another interesting choice in Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne. Claiborne’s speed — he ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash — is enough to grab people’s attention. But so is the scouting report from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who called him “a low-calorie De’Von Achane” in his scouting guide titled The Beast.

The Vikings couldn’t get Achane from the Dolphins (and there is no evidence that they tried). But if they saw shades of Smith’s former student in Claiborne, it bodes well for his future in Minnesota. An offensive line and fullback with more aggressiveness could mesh with Smith’s running concepts, and the Vikings wouldn’t have more violence and explosiveness if Chuck Norris descended from the heavens with a bazooka.

It’s up to O’Connell to trust his running game enough for all of this to matter. But with all of the clues in front of us, it’s clear that the movie that serves as The Avengers for dads could be a hint of what’s in store for the rushing attack in 2026.