Top five players Vikings can't afford to lose to injury in 2025

Health will always be a key factor in an NFL season. Teams can try to build up depth on their roster to withstand injuries, but there's only so much that can be done under the salary cap. Losing certain players can derail a season, like when the Vikings spent much of the 2023 campaign without Justin Jefferson and saw Kirk Cousins go down for the year in late October.

Today, we're going to rank the top five players the Vikings can't afford to lose to injury for any chunk of time in 2025. This differs from a ranking of the team's five best players in that we have to consider positional value and the quality of the backup options at each spot. Let's get into it.

1. Justin Jefferson

It says a lot about Jefferson's greatness that he lands the top spot here over the starting quarterback. The Vikings' superstar receiver is not only the team's best player by a wide margin, he's one of the top talents in the league. Losing Jefferson for any period of time would change Kevin O'Connell's entire offense, removing the most consistent source of chain-moving production and explosive plays. A wide receiver trio of Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, and Tai Felton/Rondale Moore wouldn't be the worst in the league, but defenses would be a lot more willing to commit numbers to stopping the run. Jefferson, who hasn't missed a game in four of his five seasons, is a crucial component to J.J. McCarthy's success in 2025 and beyond.

2. J.J. McCarthy

It would be hard to argue if you wanted to place McCarthy atop this list. The starting quarterback is the most important player on almost any football team. Another McCarthy injury would be devastating to the Vikings' immediate outlook and — more importantly — to their long-term future. He needs to be on the field getting reps and developing, even if some growing pains mean the 2025 team falls short of the postseason. The reason I've got McCarthy at No. 2 is this: O'Connell might be such an all-powerful quarterback genius that he could get competence out of Sam Howell, the team's new backup. Howell threw for nearly 4,000 yards with 21 touchdowns (plus 21 interceptions and 65 sacks) when he led the league in attempts in 2023. He's got a talented arm and would find himself in the ideal situation for any quarterback if he ever has to play.

3. Christian Darrisaw

We just saw this one play out last season, when Darrisaw went down with a torn ACL and MCL in October. The Vikings traded for Cam Robinson, who was decent as a replacement left tackle until struggling quite a bit in the two games where it mattered most. When Darrisaw is healthy, he's one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. He's a dominant force in both pass protection and run blocking, and his presence is pretty key to making the entire offense go. Once he returns from last year's injury, the Vikings need Darrisaw to stay on the field and make life easier on McCarthy and the rest of their offense. Justin Skule is merely an adequate short-term backup.

4. Byron Murphy Jr.

Given the Vikings' current roster construction, no defensive player is more irreplaceable this season than Murphy, their No. 1 cornerback. Not only is he a Pro Bowl-caliber player with coverage versatility and ball skills, the room behind him is filled with question marks. A Murphy-less Vikings cornerback trio would consist of Isaiah Rodgers, Mekhi Blackmon, and Jeff Okudah. That's a CB1 who has never played more than 525 snaps in a season, a CB2 coming off an ACL injury, and a CB3 on his fourth team in four seasons. (They'd almost certainly have to trade for a corner). The Vikings' CB room is a potential weakness as is, so a Murphy injury would be a catastrophic loss for the outlook of this otherwise-loaded defense.

5. Ryan Kelly

You could go in any number of directions with this fifth spot, but I'm giving the nod to Kelly, the Vikings' new center. It probably goes overlooked sometimes how important the center is to not just the rest of the offensive line, but the entire offense. He's responsible for communicating protections and making adjustments, not to mention blocking huge defensive tackles in the middle of the line. The Vikings prioritized signing the veteran Kelly, a four-time Pro Bowler, because of what he'll mean for McCarthy this year and beyond. If he were to go down, the backup is...2024 seventh-round pick Michael Jurgens? Kelly's importance to the 2025 Vikings should not be underrated.

Honorable mentions

Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard might be the Vikings' two best defensive players, but if Dallas Turner takes the leap many think he will, Brian Flores could perhaps survive without one of his two star outside linebackers. Josh Metellus has a case to be on this list, though the Vikings could roll with Harrison Smith and Theo Jackson and use three cornerbacks more often. Ivan Pace Jr., Eric Wilson, and Kobe King give the Vikings some decent depth behind Blake Cashman. Same with Jalen Redmond, Taki Taimani, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins behind Jonathan Allen, Harrison Phillips, and Javon Hargrave.

Offensively, you could make an argument for Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, or Brian O'Neill in the fifth spot. Of those three, Hockenson might actually be the toughest to replace. An Aaron Jones injury would hurt, but the Jordan Mason addition makes the Vikings more prepared to overcome that than they would've been last season. Blake Brandel has starting experience and could step in at right guard if Will Fries happened to go down.