Vikings Injury News Are Split in Good and Bad
The Minnesota Vikings will start their 2024 journey on Sunday with a road matchup against the New York Giants. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is out for the season and, subsequently, also for the season opener. His NFL debut will not take place for another year. The receivers will catch passes from Sam Darnold instead, who can hopefully have his best year.
Vikings Injury News Are Split in Good and Bad
But his receiving crew will be decimated early in 2024. It is unclear how many guys will miss Week 1.
Of course, tight end T.J. Hockenson will miss the first four games of the season after the team kept him on the PUP list throughout cutdown day. A return following those four contests is possible, and the Vikings need their target magnet in the middle of the field to unleash Kevin O’Connell’s passing attack fully.
On Monday, the news dropped that the status of a couple of wideouts should be considered in question.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted from practice: “The good news: Vikings WR Jordan Addison (ankle) was practicing today during the portion open to reporters. The bad news: WR Jalen Nailor (unknown) was working on a side field.”
Addison suffered an ankle sprain in training camp roughly three weeks ago. His participation in practice is a wonderful sign, as he is the team’s top option behind Justin Jefferson in the passing attack with Hockenson sidelined.
The sophomore collected 911 yards in his rookie season, adding ten scores to the scoreboard. When Jefferson missed time with his hamstring issue, he was asked to take on a major burden in the passing game, and he did quite well. With Jefferson drawing a lot of attention and Addison in line for a year-two jump, he should be a serious factor.
Nailor’s absence is concerning. The talented 2022 sixth-rounder missed most of the 2023 season with a soft-tissue injury and a concussion. He shined in training camp, challenging Brandon Powell for the WR3 role.
The former Michigan State Spartan showed his talent in his rookie campaign when he was the lone bright spot in a horrendous team outing in Green Bay.
In July, O’Connell said about the 25-year-old: “He’s in year three now and maybe hasn’t been able to show all of the consistency that Jalen expects of himself but when he has been out there, he has made plays consistently. I think we’re all very optimistic about Jalen because he’s proven what he is as a football player. It’s not a question of that, it’s just a matter of can he be out there, can he be handle the versatility that comes with playing in the huddle with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.”
Another injury would be a huge setback.
The Vikings have six wide receivers on the roster.
- Justin Jefferson
- Jordan Addison
- Brandon Powell
- Jalen Nailor
- Trishton Jackson
- Trent Sherfield Sr.
Jackson had an outstanding preseason, securing a roster spot and perhaps a role in the rotation. Either he or veteran Sherfield would be asked to catch some passes should one of Addison and/or Nailor miss the game.
The team’s official injury report will drop on Wednesday.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt