Kevin O’Connell Provides a Positive Injury Update for Vikings WR Room Heading into Week 11
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings have been going through a number of different injuries throughout the 2023 season.
Just this week, the Vikings had to place starting LB Jordan Hicks on IR, meaning yet another starter will miss at least four games.
However, there were some positive injury updates from Kevin O’Connell as he spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon. Namely, it seems that Minnesota’s WR room is getting healthier at the right time.
Kevin O’Connell Provides a Positive Injury Update for Vikings WRs
First and foremost, it seems that K.J. Osborn is on track to play on Sunday night in Denver. The wide receiver came out of Week 9’s game against Atlanta with a concussion, and he missed last weekend’s game versus the Saints as he continued recovering.
O’Connell said on Wednesday, “[Osborn] will fully participate [in practice] today, and then more than likely will be totally cleared altogether later this afternoon. K.J. feels great, he’s been great today, so we want to get him going. He’s a big part of our offense.”
Indeed, the veteran receiver has been a big part of Minnesota’s offense in the absence of Justin Jefferson. After a slow start to the year, Osborn really began picking things up as the Vikings started their winning streak.
In the four games from Weeks 5-8, Osborn totaled 30 targets of which he caught 22 for 243 yards. This included a great game against the Packers where he totaled 8 receptions for 99 yards in Minnesota’s only double-digit win of the season.
Josh Dobbs didn’t seem too fazed without Osborn on the field last Sunday as he threw for a career-high 268 yards and a touchdown, but regardless, it will be great for the starting QB to have another weapon out there as Minnesota takes on a tough Broncos defense this weekend.
As for Jefferson, the Vikings remain in “wait and see” mode with their star before officially determining if he will be on the field on Sunday.
O’Connell said of Jefferson’s status, “He’s going to do a little bit more today. We’ll see how he responds to that a little bit more tomorrow and then throughout the week. We’re kind of in that day-to-day, ramping him up phase now. We’ll determine if it’s possible at all to have him for this weekend. We’ll determine that and kind of take it one day at a time with that and then assess it with the doctors.”
The important thing for Jefferson and the Vikings is to ensure that he is fully healthy before getting back on the field. Especially with how the offense has performed in his absence, the Vikings should feel no need to rush him back onto the field as they sit at 6-4 and in firm control of a playoff spot.
It would be great to see #18 back on the field for the Vikings after his incredible start to the season, but regardless, it seems that Minnesota’s receiver room is trending in the right direction as we approach the final stretch of the regular season.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.