Vikings Provide Positive Health Update on Injured Pass Rusher
If all goes to plan, Jerry Tillery will be a menace on third and long for the Vikings.
Going into his sixth NFL season, Tillery hasn’t lived up to his 1st-Round status. Working with Brian Flores, though, offers an opportunity to get his career cooking. In fact, one could argue that Tillery is in a wonderful scenario given that Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner are going to demand a ton of attention. Being able to complement those three will require staying on the field, and the word from Kevin O’Connell is that he’ll be back before long.
Vikings Provide Positive Update on Jerry Tillery
On Tuesday, O’Connell spoke with the media for roughly twelve minutes.
The initial moments were spent on Jerry Tillery. “He did get a pretty significant laceration,” O’Connell notes, “kind of on the back of his leg there, lower calf area. That, although very concerning, he’s going to be fully recovered. He did have to get a couple stitches.”
O’Connell goes on: “As far as the major injuries that maybe our fans or you folks might have been worried about, that is not the case. He’ll be back. Just gotta let those stiches heal and he’ll be ready to roll.”
So, good news.
At 6’6″, 295, Jerry Tillery looks like an NFL pass rusher. He only picked up a pair of sacks last season, but the hope is that he’s still just scratching the surface of his potential. After all, he’s still only 27 and has split his five seasons between being a Charger and being a Raider.
Minnesota brought him to town on a single-season deal that’s accounting for just $2,750,000 on the cap. Crushing it with the Vikings could lead to a scenario where he cashes in on a major payday next offseason.
To stand alongside the pair of sacks, there were 23 hurries and 29 pressures. Seeing those numbers at a considerably higher spot than the sacks is a positive sign, a hint that he could be someone who could explode if all the stars align.
Most of his snaps came as a 3T and a 5T, the exact spots where the Vikings will be looking for him to thrive. Again, there’s ample talent along the edge, so getting some penetration from the interior is what Brian Flores is looking to see.
Right now, Tillery is working through a bit of a minor injury. Getting back to 100% before long will allow the pass rusher to keep putting in work so that he can have an excellent season.
On the first depth chart, Tillery was listed among the starters.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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.
