Kevin O’Connell Delivered Some Good News on Monday
The injuries have not been kind to the Minnesota Vikings all year, as the list of absent players has continuously gotten longer and longer ahead of the bye week. Rarely has a bye week felt this necessary.
Kevin O’Connell Delivered Some Good News on Monday
The break certainly helped get some guys back, and head coach Kevin O’Connell stepped in front of the media on Monday to release various positive updates.
We’ll start with a guy who appears to be ready to return from his stint on IR. Linebacker Blake Cashman suffered a hamstring injury in the Week 1 win over the Chicago Bears when he had to chase Caleb Williams on a scramble.
Subsequently, Cashman was placed on IR. That procedure rules out any player for at least four games. On Monday, the Vikings announced that his practice window has been opened. The franchise now has 21 days to activate the defender. If they don’t (they will), he’s out for the season.
Whether he’s available on Sunday remains to be seen, but the Vikings undoubtedly want the heart and soul of their defense back sooner rather than later. With him practicing, it’s realistic that he can be on the field when Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley show up in the Twin Cities on Sunday.
In the last four games, backup Eric Wilson has taken over the green dot duties, and he has played quite well. Still, he’s no Cashman, whose versatility as a complete linebacker in the middle of the field allows fellow second-level defender Ivan Pace to do what he does best.
But O’Connell didn’t stop there.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted from the presser, “Vikings will open LB Blake Cashman’s 21-day IR return window today. Per Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings will also have QB J.J. McCarthy, C Michael Jurgens, LG Donovan Jackson and RT Brian O’Neill back on the practice field this week in various capacities. Bonus practice today.”
J.J. McCarthy suffered an ankle injury in the Week 2 loss against the Atlanta Falcons and has been sidelined since, with Carson Wentz taking over. His status for Sunday remains a mystery, as O’Connell didn’t want to make a call with six days to go. Backup Wentz is also ready to return after banging up his shoulder last week.
Good news for either potential starting QB is the fact that the offensive line is healing, and four of the initial five starters are back at practice, with center Ryan Kelly being the odd man out.
His alternate, Michael Jurgens, missed the last game, and Blake Brandel had to make the transition to center after already playing guard and tackle for the 2025 Vikings.
Left guard Donovan Jackson had to undergo wrist surgery after Week 3 (in which he played with the injury). The Vikings didn’t place him on IR, expecting him to return after the bye week, and that seems to be the case. The rookie first-rounder had an impressive three-game stint to start his career.
And the final player is right tackle Brian O’Neill. A knee injury suffered in the Week 4 game in Dublin cost him the majority of that game as well as Week 5, but the MCL sprain isn’t a long-term problem, apparently.
Christian Darrisaw and Will Fries complete the starting lineup if the three players suit up on Sunday.
Another injured player whose status remains in question is Andrew Van Ginkel. He’ll practice on a side field, O’Connell suggested. Ben Goessling (Star Tribune) summed up, “Andrew Van Ginkel will be working on a side field this week, Kevin O’Connell said. The edge rusher is ‘doing better’ with his neck injury, but there’s no update yet on his availability. ‘I want to see how he does with some of that side field work,’ O’Connell said.”
Aside from the starters Aaron Jones and Ryan Kelly on IR, all other guys seem to be ready to participate in practice at least in some capacity.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.