Concern Is Growing about 1 Vikings Weapon
Training camp and the first two preseason games have produced primarily good vibes in the Twin Cities, with a team that appears good enough to play meaningful football in January. Depending on J.J. McCarthy’s growth, it might even be a dark horse contender.
Concern Is Growing about 1 Vikings Weapon
One annoying note, however, has been Jordan Addison’s suspension that will cost him the first three games of the season. Paired with the heartbreaking news of Rondale Moore’s severe knee injury, the receiver position is suddenly thin.
Now add Jalen Nailor’s hand injury suffered in Thursday’s second joint practice session with the New England Patriots, and the alarm bells ring for the purple squad. Head coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t have an update Thursday.
Well, fast forward two days, after the preseason loss versus the Patriots, the coach spoke to the media again. And guess what, he still didn’t have an update, which is quite strange.
His comments: “Yeah, it’s more of a hand [than a finger injury]. And we’re kind of completing the evaluation process of that. And I’ll keep you guys posted. [We] wanted to make sure we let any swelling go down and see really, what exactly it’s going to be. But he’s in a good spot. I definitely don’t feel overly concerned about a long-term thing. But at the same time, we want to make sure that, you know he can, he can hit the ground running and be healthy. And that’s where we’ll make sure we know exactly what it is, get him rehabbed and ready to roll.”
Swelling can make the evaluation process a little more complicated at times, but it shouldn’t prevent x-rays on a jammed hand. However, swelling can delay surgery, as it did with T.J. Hockenson’s knee injury in the 2023 season. That is entirely speculative, though.
The fourth-year receiver suffering an injury is notable because he is the team’s WR3, and without Addison, he’s penciled in as a starter next to Justin Jefferson. If he’s out, the franchise would suddenly look at the depth chart and pick a starter between players with (near-) zero career catches, like practice-squad veterans Thayer Thomas and Lucky Jackson, rookie Tai Felton, or potential special-teamers Tim Jones, Myles Price and Silas Bolden.
A lengthy absence would pretty much force the Vikings to hire a veteran off the waiver wire, which doesn’t sound like the worst idea either way. Amari Cooper is a popular name, and an aging Odell Beckham Jr. is available, too. Gabe Davis is just a year removed from signing a decent deal with the Jaguars, and Nelson Agholor has consistently been a 300-yard guy.
Regardless, Nailor continuously struggled with injuries in college and dragged those problems to the pros. Various injuries pretty much cost him the 2023 season, a year that was viewed as a chance for him to emerge. Last year, he finally had a breakout year with over 400 yards and six touchdowns as a wingman for the top duo of Jefferson and Addison.
His speed can be used in a multitude of ways, including as a deep threat or on clear-out routes to create extra room for his teammates. Coach O’Connell has praised him numerous times over the years.
There will probably be an update in the upcoming days, and hopefully, Speedy can make a return to the field in the near future.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.