Off the IR but Not Off the Bench, The Vikings’ Speedster Eyes a Week 10 Return
There was late-season promise for Jalen Nailor.
True, the stats arrived in some garbage time situations, but Nailor seemingly confirmed his reputation: the receiver has the wheels to burn a defense deep. The Vikings’ speedster thus had a chance to carve out a meaningful role for Minnesota in 2023, functioning as the WR4 whose assignment rested in making safeties think long and hard about cheating too far toward Justin Jefferson’s side.
Picking up 9 receptions as a rookie isn’t the same thing as lighting the world on fire, but the 19.9 yards per reception average is pretty eye-popping. Being able to replicate such a gaudy average over a full season was (and still is) supremely unlikely, but that didn’t completely dampen the enthusiasm for the sophomore.
The issue, of course, is that an injury has left him unable to get onto the field since Week 2. Nailor is now off of the IR but hasn’t yet made his return to the field. Will that change in Week 10?
Jalen Nailor, the Vikings’ Speedster, Hasn’t Yet Gotten Off the Sideline
The K.J. Osborn injury changes the water on the purple beans, doesn’t it?
Losing Justin Jefferson meant the Vikings had to retreat into a full-team effort. There’s basically no one capable of replacing #18 in a true one-for-one capacity, so the Vikings had to lean on a variety of players to get the job done. In practice, that meant Jordan Addison and K.J. Osborn seeing more prominent roles as Alexander Mattison, Cam Akers, T.J. Hockenson, and Brandon Powell all saw their importance increase.
Osborn, though, seems to be out for at least a week. Addison is going to get plenty of attention from Marshon Lattimore and Tyrann Mathieu, meaning the Vikings’ offense is getting ultra thin at receiver. Trishton Jackson and N’Keal Harry have a role to play, but they don’t inspire too much fear.
And, of course, the wounded Hockenson makes things a touch more tricky. He battled through his rib injury against Atlanta and the expectation should be that he’ll do so again when New Orleans comes to town. Just don’t be surprised if he isn’t operating at 100%, a reality that could hinder his effectiveness here and there.
All of that context should bring our minds back around to Jalen Nailor, the Michigan State alumnus who stands at 6’0″ while weighing 190 pounds. There’s no time like the present for the sophomore to show that he’s capable of making explosive plays in a meaningful midseason game.
In all likelihood, the Vikings will be rolling into the Saints contest with Addison and Powell as the main two receivers. Jackson — who actually had 53 snaps for the offense in Atlanta — will see an elevated role as the WR3 while Harry contends for WR4. How does Nailor fit into the equation?
Make no mistake: asking Josh Dobbs to start a game on Sunday, November 12th after being picked up on October 31st is a humongous ask. Expectations are at an insane level since he put together such a breathtaking performance against the Falcons, but some ongoing confusion and miscommunications could very plausibly hinder the journeyman.
A surefire way of making Dobbs’ life easier is to surround him with capable weapons. Nothing worse for a QB than to work through his progression and see that options #1, #2, and #3 are covered as the pass rush is collapsing into one’s lap.
Ben Leber, a former Vikings linebacker and current team analyst, had this to say about Nailor: “Jalen Nailor could be a huge addition. Coaches have been excited about him for awhile.” Fans have mirrored the coaches by sharing that excitement. Getting him back into the mix could be just one small step toward allowing the offense to pile up the points necessary to extend the winning streak to five games.
The Vikings and Saints begin their tilt at 12 p.m. CST inside U.S. Bank Stadium. Picking up the win means Minnesota would find itself at a wholly unexpected 6-4 after the season’s opening ten games.
Nailor is still being listed on the injury report but has been a full participant. Let’s see if he’s active and being worked into the O’Connell offense.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.