There’s a Sweet Development in Vikings Training Camp
Injuries are, unfortunately, part of any sport, and football players suffer severe injuries at an alarming rate. Like all athletes, they just want to be out there with their teammates, but sometimes, rehab takes center stage. For one foundational piece of the Minnesota Vikings, the long period on the sidelines is finally nearing an end.
There’s a Sweet Development in Vikings Training Camp
Christian Darrisaw, one of the best left tackles in football and certainly one of the top players on the purple squad, is in the final stages of his recovery from the torn ACL + MCL suffered last October.
To start training camp, head coach Kevin O’Connell already announced that the franchise tackle had avoided a stint on the PUP list. He participated in individual drills early in camp, but on Wednesday, he took another step when he was inserted into the first-team offense for full-contact team drills.
Craig Peters of Vikings.com noted in his camp takeaways: “The ‘Big Dog’ moved closer to being fully back. Darrisaw, who has been rehabbing a knee injury suffered in Week 8, lined up for his first padded reps of 2025 during a team period. Minnesota didn’t overload the left tackle, instead rotating him with Justin Skule, but a few plays in that setting is another milestone for Darrisaw’s return.”
Justin Skule is widely expected to be the alternate if Darrisaw is forced to sit out the start of the season. Wednesday’s news, however, makes his Week 1 availability a realistic thought.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert commented: “Darrisaw had been working only in individual position drills as part of the Vikings’ plan to slowly ramp him up. He was on the field for roughly half of the first-team snaps. Veteran Justin Skule, who probably will start in Week 1 if Darrisaw isn’t ready, took the rest of the first-team snaps.”
Week 1’s matchup versus the divisional rivals, the Chicago Bears, was only 40 days away from Darrisaw’s first-team debut. His presence would surely be appreciated, considering it’ll be J.J. McCarthy’s first career game, and pass protection is crucial for any quarterback, but especially for inexperienced ones.
The Vikings have undoubtedly tried to solidify the front for their young passer by connecting their strong tackle duo (Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill) with one of the better interior units in the league, at least on paper. Will Fries and Ryan Kelly were signed from the Indianapolis Colts for an annual salary of roughly $26 million, and Donovan Jackson, the former Ohio State guard, was acquired with a first-round pick.
Fries is another player to watch. His fractured tibia resulted in a lengthy recovery period, but he returned to the lineup earlier this week. For the first time, the Vikings featured their entire top unit on the offensive line.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
This month, ESPN released its annual top ten position rankings. Darrisaw dropped to ninth on the list and the injury is to blame. He still got the honorable mention treatment and Jeremy Fowler wrote: “‘He’s got it all,’ a veteran NFL offensive coach said. ‘He has power, good feet, balance and range.’ Despite the injury costing him 10 games, Darrisaw produced an 88.9 pass block win rate on 197 snaps along with a 79.7 run block win rate. The Vikings gave him a four-year, $104 million extension before last season.”
If he returns to full strength, the Vikings won’t regret the extension one bit, despite the ten missed games in 2024. Injuries, however, have been the one Achilles’ heel of Darrisaw’s career, as he has yet to play more than 15 games in a season.
His status for Week 1 remains one of the most important storylines this offseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.