Young Vikings CBs Avoid Major Injuries on Thursday
The Minnesota Vikings have a very young group at the cornerback position, and on Thursday, the team had two of their key players at the position suffer injuries that knocked them out of practice.
Both Mekhi Blackmon and Akayleb Evans left the session early, but it appears that each of the young Vikings CBs have avoided major injuries according to the reports that came out after practice.
Vikings CBs Avoid Major Injuries
Blackmon left the field after a rep with what appeared to be an arm injury. The cornerback was the Vikings third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft after a strong collegiate career at USC. On the Vikings first depth chart, he was listed as Minnesota’s CB5.
Luckily, it appears that he should be fine after his injury in practice. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweeted about the injury, “#Vikings rookie CB Mekhi Blackmon appears to have dodged a major injury in today’s joint practice with the #Titans, per source. Evaluations ongoing, but there’s optimism Blackmon — a third-round pick who’s been working with the starting defense — will be able to return soon.”
It remains unknown exactly what the injury was and how long Blackmon could be out for, but this should be taken as very positive news for the Vikings rookie cornerback.
As for Evans, he took some friendly fire while going for an interception during a drill. The CB went after a pass from Malik Willis and was met by a hard hit from S Josh Metellus, who presumably didn’t realize Evans was the player going after the ball.
Luckily, it’s been all jokes from both sides since the incident. Evans tweeted on Thursday night letting everyone know that he was “all good”.
Last season, Evans went through at least three separate concussions during the course of the season, which was the major cause for concern in the aftermath of the hit from Metellus. However, it appears that he is going to be alright from this collision. Metellus himself posted an apology as well:
Evans is currently the favorite to win a starting CB spot this year alongside veteran Byron Murphy. He was listed as CB2 on Minnesota’s first depth chart, and he has more starting experience than anyone in the CB room besides Murphy.
Hopefully, both young CBs are good to go sooner rather than later. The Vikings will need “all hands on deck” for the group this season, given the inexperience in the room. We’ll get to see the Vikings in action again on Saturday with their second preseason game scheduled for 7 PM at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Tennessee Titans.
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.