EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota’s offensive line has run training camp drills with an intensity that stands out from other positions, according to ESPN. Backup guard Joe Huber struck a bag hard enough to send backup tackle Henry Byrd to the ground during a recent session, illustrating the physical tone the unit has set.
Players said the group increases resistance with thick bungee cords in pass sets and treats each rep like a competitive play. Linemen run back to the group after reps, and when full-team work begins all five starters sprint to the ball and then return to the huddle, according to ESPN.
At the center of the approach is offensive line coach Keith Carter, promoted in February as part of coach Kevin O’Connell’s redesign of the run game. Center Blake Brandel told ESPN Carter is in perpetual motion and “hollering at us,” while guard Will Fries said he is “pushing us beyond our comfort zone.” Right tackle Brian O’Neill said Carter reminds the group that “individual drills are not warmups,” a method that keeps minimal time between reps.
O’Connell has repeatedly said he wants the line to play “on the other side of the line of scrimmage” after several seasons of limited physicality, according to ESPN. ESPN also spoke to all five members of the Vikings’ starting line, and while they acknowledged camp has been difficult they collectively stressed that Carter’s methods are necessary and appropriate. O’Neill said Carter “loves football” and that the bar has been raised from prior seasons, adding the group is receptive to change because they want to improve.
Carter is the grandson of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Gino Marchetti, and he told ESPN that Marchetti urged him to “make sure that practice is harder than the game.” Carter’s intensity drew public criticism at previous stops with the Tennessee Titans (2018-22) and New York Jets (2023-24). Former Titans tackle Taylor Lewan posted in 2024 that he liked the staff except Carter, and former Jets players Mekhi Becton and Breece Hall reacted in social media comments. Lewan later said on a podcast Carter’s approach initially felt like a “dictatorship.” Carter told ESPN those reactions made him reassess how he communicates so players view the work as value rather than punishment.
