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Veteran Addition May be MN Vikings Secret Weapon
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- Veteran Addition May be MN Vikings Secret Weapon
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
This season is a big one for the Minnesota Vikings in that they are hoping to be breaking in a new franchise quarterback. J.J. McCarthy missed the entire 2024 season after suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Kevin O'Connell showed how impactful he can be on a quarterback by turning Sam Darnold back into a legitimate asset . He'll have his hands all over the development of McCarthy as well.
Credit: Christine Tannous/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Unlike the situation Darnold was in last year, McCarthy has a revamped offensive line . Among the most overlooked spots there is Ryan Kelly taking over for Garrett Bradbury . The former Pro Bowler isn't just talented at his position, but he could be the key for McCarthy too.
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Ryan Kelly could be the difference for Minnesota Vikings
Kevin O'Connell will do everything he can to help prepare McCarthy get ready between the sidelines. He can't be on the field though, and that's where veteran offensive lineman Ryan Kelly comes in. The head coach outlined just that to The Athletic's Alec Lewis .
"Between the whistles," O'Connell said before training camp, "you can't have a more valuable piece for J.J. (than Kelly)."
Centers in football are similar to catchers in baseball. Bulldozing a defender is easily identifiable, like hitting a home run, but there are hidden advantages to being cerebral. In baseball, the great catchers call the game intellectually, carrying with them a mental bank of tendencies for each opposing hitter. In football, the great centers not only recognize defensive tells but also have the bandwidth during the stress of the 40-second countdown to voice or signal those observations to those around them.
Bradbury had upped his play in recent seasons enough to stick around for the Vikings. When the franchise decided to attack the line though, a total interior makeover was necessary. Kelly joined first and then helped Minnesota to land Will Fries .
That sort of recommendation and recruiting prowess is just another footnote of the influence a key veteran can have. For McCarthy, Kelly is determined to be his eyes and ears when the game gets going.
#Vikings C Ryan Kelly says Brian Flores defense is "chaos" for opposing offenses, and nobody in the league will be able to emulate it the way he does.
"There might be some teams that try to emulate it, but no one that I've seen since I've been in the league have successfully… pic.twitter.com/gqpSJX086D— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) July 29, 2025
Kelly won't be able to throw the ball for McCarthy, but he's going to be a steadying presence. He has played 121 games over the course of his nine year career. He has seen it all, and the quarterbacks he has worked with trust him unconditionally.
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The more that Kelly can generate the buy-in of his young new teammate, and the more McCarthy can lean on his front man, the better the Minnesota Vikings will be. The chemistry has already started, and it will only grow once things kick off in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears .
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