Vikings replacing Donovan Jackson may be easier than we think, and it showed against the Dolphins
After a solid performance in relief of Donovan Jackson, Joe Huber may have earned himself a bigger role on Sunday’s.
When you look at the Minnesota Vikings, there are some interesting storylines to look at. The main one focuses on the offense as a whole. Kyler Murray has shown some flashes at quarterback, but hasn’t been able to string anything consistently.
It won’t get any easier with left guard Donovan Jackson likely missing the rest of the regular season with a meniscus injury. That leaves a gaping hole at left guard for the Vikings.
Minnesota Vikings may have a guy in Joe Huber
The replacement for Jackson was Joe Huber, who got his second major game action in his career. Huber was a UDFA in the 2025 NFL Draft class and started against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5. In that game, he was solid in replacement of Jackson, but didn’t get significant playing time the rest of hte year.
Huber ended up earning the top backup guard job and was thrust into action on Sunday, playing 71 snaps and allowing just two pressures. He had some solid blocks as well in the running game and picking up stunts.
On Monday, head coach Kevin O’Connell talked about Huber, and the vibes are that of a player who is going to be given a chance to win a more permanent role.
“I thought Joe [Huber] stepped in. Joe’s a good young player that we’ve been really excited about since we first brought him on as an undrafted free agent last year,” said O’Connell. “He’s been able to be versatile to have a game-day role at three spots when called upon. It happened to be left guard yesterday. I thought he had some really good snaps. He’s physical. He’s a smart player, has spent a lot of time really diving in, working. Whether it’s been with Blake [Brandel] or his reps he’s taken at center, I think it has opened up his viewpoint and his ability to impact at whatever position he stepped in at. It’s definitely going to be something we’ve got to work through.”
It’s important that O’Connell spoke highly of Huber, because guard could easily be a position that the Vikings would target in a trade. With the uncertain future of Will Fries, Huber playing really well this season could end up getting him a starting job in 2027.
His first test is the New Orleans Saints, who are coming off of a beatdown by the Atlanta Falcons, and their interior is relatively uncertain. It could be a huge stretch of games for the future of the Vikings, especially with Huber being on a rookie scale contract through 2028.
