Where art thou, Elijah Williams?
The 24-year-old Vikings d-lineman has supporters aplenty around the team. What’s been odd about 2026 is that he hasn’t yet played. In fact, he’s not even dressing, being inactive across the opening three games of the Vikings’ season. Williams is therefore being left in the dust since he’s so far down the depth chart. At this stage, the Vikings don’t appear likely to play him since things are going so well, possibly creating a scenario where an injury is needed to get him out there.
Vikings D-Lineman Elijah Williams is Yet to Play
Back in June, I chatted with Mr. Williams briefly at TCO Performance Center. The summer tends to be a time for unbridled, unquestioned enthusiasm, so overreacting to some positive developments at that point on the calendar isn’t an advisable approach.
Still, no playing time through the opening trio of weeks is an odd development. He appeared to be moving in a positive direction.
Williams told me that Ryan Nielsen had been doing a great job of teaching him the intricacies of the position: “I love it because he’s just going to make sure that you’re doing the right thing and you understand why you’re doing it. He’s a great coach.” He then clarified that he pushed his weight up to 305 (the team website lists him at 298), an intentional decision to better accommodate life in an NFL trench: “I’m going to stay in that range, it feels better for taking on double teams.”
As things stand, Williams is the DT6, at best. As a result, he’s not dressing for games.
Consider the depth chart:
- DL1: Jalen Redmond
- DL2: Levi Drake Rodriguez
- DL3: Ty Ingram-Dawkins
- DL4: Domonique Orange
- DL5: Caleb Banks
- DL6: Elijah Williams
Digging into the practice squad means finding just one more option. That’s a collection of talent that boasts young fella Jahvaree Ritzie, somebody who did some promising things in the Vikings’ preseason. He’s 23 and boasts a nice build (6’4″ and 290 pounds). Minnesota wants to keep developing him.
Right now, Redmond is on a different level from anybody else at his position. He’s the clear-cut best option for the defensive line even as Rodriguez has taken a nice jump in his third NFL season.
But then on the other end of things is Elijah Williams.
Last year, Williams got involved in 7 games with the Vikings. He offered 9 tackles in his 42 snaps on defense and 29 snaps on special teams.
No doubt, we’re talking about modest production but he was a summer tryout UDFA who found a way to demand a spot on the 53-man roster. Minnesota fans love underdog stories and he fits the bill, leading to enthusiasm for what he could do as an encore.
Next up is a game against the Miami Dolphins, a team that appears likely to get overwhelmed in short order. Look for the Vikings d-lineman, Elijah Williams, in the actives list prior to that game.