After yesterday’s big news of the firing of General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the Minnesota Vikings continued making offseason moves with some additions and changes to the coaching staff.
The Vikings have added former Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator Frank Smith to the staff as an assistant head coach. Smith served as the OC in Miami under Mike McDaniel from 2022 until this past season and was let go by the team when McDaniel was relieved of his duties. The Dolphins’ offense was sixth in the NFL in yardage in 2022 and led the NFL in that category in 2023, but fell off to 18th in 2024 and 25th in 2025. It’s worth noting that the Dolphins’ run game averaged 4.7 yards/carry this past season, which was good for fourth in the NFL.
The team has also promoted Keith Carter to the role of offensive line coach, replacing Chris Kuper, whose contract was not renewed after the season concluded. Carter was hired by the Vikings before the 2025 season, and spent the previous two seasons as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the New York Jets.
Another outside addition to the staff comes from Pittsburgh, as the team has added former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Gerald Alexander in the role of defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach, the role that Daronte Jones had filled before he left to become the defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders. Alexander was a second-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2007 NFL Draft out of Boise State and played five years in the NFL before moving into the coaching ranks. He’s been a defensive backs coach around the NFL since 2020.
The final addition to the staff is Ryan Nielsen, who comes to the Vikings from the Buffalo Bills and will fill the role of defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator. Nielsen has been a defensive line coach for numerous teams around the NFL since 2017 and was a senior defensive assistant for the Bills this past season.
I believe those are all of the spots that the Vikings need to fill on the coaching staff at the present time. If they make any more moves we will bring them to you here as soon as the news comes down about them.
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