Vikings Get Pass-Rusher Back for Week 4
This spring, the Minnesota Vikings signed Marcus Davenport to be their replacement for Za’Darius Smith at the outside linebacker position.
To this point in the season, though, he has played just four snaps and has missed both Weeks 1 and 3 altogether due to a lingering ankle injury.
However, it appears that the Vikings will get their pass-rusher back in Week 4 as he was not placed on the inactive list for Week 4.
Vikings Get More Pass-Rush Help in Week 4
Of course, we have to keep in mind that Davenport was active for Week 2 in Philadelphia, but the ankle injury flared up again during the first defensive series, and he missed the rest of the game. There is still a possibility that he is working his way back and won’t see a full starting workload for the Vikings.
Here is the full list of inactives for Minnesota:
- S Lewis Cine
- QB Jaren Hall
- TE Nick Muse
- C Garrett Bradbury
- DL Khyiris Tonga
Minnesota’s 2022 first-round pick, Lewis Cine, is set to miss his first game of the year after a hamstring injury popped up earlier in the week. The safety has not played on the defense at all to begin the year, but his contributions on special teams will need to be replaced on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Garrett Bradbury will miss his third consecutive game with a back injury that has ailed him since Week 1. The Vikings starting center has played just seven snaps this season because of the ailment. In his stead, Austin Schlottmann will continue taking reps at the position.
We should also see a healthy dose of the newest Viking this weekend, RB Cam Akers. The Vikings acquired Akers via trade from the Los Angeles Rams last week, but Minnesota’s game against the Chargers was too quick a turnaround for him to see any action in Week 3.
On the Panthers side, they have six players listed as inactive today:
- RB Raheem Blackshear
- WR Jonathan Mingo
- S Xavier Woods
- CB Sam Webb
- LB Deion Jones
- OT David Sharpe
Woods has started each of the first three games of the season, but he was ruled out on Friday’s injury report, meaning Carolina will have to rely on their depth to fill the void in the secondary.
Kickoff between the Panthers and Vikings is slated for 12 PM Central at Bank of America Stadium.
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.
