Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings Get Another Gut Punch
Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings have been taking more than their fair share of jabs, hooks, and uppercuts in recent days.
Most notably, there’s the injury to J.J. McCarthy. One then thinks of what’s taking place along the offensive line, a starting five that’s missing a starting trio. But then the issue grows even worse. Backup center Michael Jurgens is on the injury report, creating more uncertainty about what’s taking place within the trenches.
Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings See Another O-Lineman Injured
Anytime a coaching staff needs to have an in-game discussion about finding an emergency offensive lineman, things are going poorly (curious minds may like to know that brawny tight end Josh Oliver is Minnesota’s top option).
At first, Brian O’Neill went down. Ryan Kelly then suffered a concussion in the Week 4 Steelers game, creating a very concerning scenario since the veteran has already sustained a concussion during the 2025 season. The move has been to pivot toward Michael Jurgens, a backup center who was chosen in the 7th Round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Maybe predictably, the sophomore hasn’t been as sturdy as the starter.
Jurgens, someone listed at 6’5″ and 311 pounds, appears to be a decent athlete. In fact, Jurgens earned a 7.62 RAS score going into his draft, seeing his number dragged down by having a lower weight and modest repetitions on the bench press. The 5.43 forty isn’t earth shattering stuff, either.
Consider one scouting assessment leading into last year’s draft: “Solid three-year starter as a center/guard but will need to stick at center as his primary position. Jurgens uses accurate hands and consistent footwork to fit blocks with good centering, but he doesn’t have the core strength needed to displace opponents or keep from being pulled and shoved off balance by a strong nose tackle. He’s fairly average as an athlete but he does see the field well in pass protection and steadies the gaps around him. Jurgens’ lack of functional power and contact balance could hurt his chances as a late-round pick or priority free agent.”
Some good and some bad within those words. One of the main takeaways is that Jurgens isn’t the world’s most rugged lineman, something that may be showing up during recent games. Per PFF, the center has snagged 4 penalties. Even worse, there have been 3 sacks allowed, 1 QB hit, and 5 pressures. Room to improve, to be sure.
On Wednesday, Michael Jurgens couldn’t participate in practice. Consider who showed up on the injury report:
- Edge Rusher Tyler Batty — Full
- Fullback C.J. Ham — Full
- Running Back Zavier Scott — Full
- Left Tackle Christian Darrisaw — DNP (Rest)
- Left Guard Donovan Jackson — DNP
- Center Michael Jurgens — DNP
- Center Ryan Kelly — DNP
- Quarterback J.J. McCarthy — DNP
- Right Tackle Brian O’Neill — DNP
- Edge Rusher Andrew Van Ginkel — DNP
- Tight End Ben Yurosek — DNP
Plenty of digital ink being spilled on the injury report. Just a wild amount of poor health outcomes for a single team.
Of course, the update that arrives on Wednesday isn’t necessarily reflective of who is going to be out there for Sunday. Darrisaw is the perfect example. He didn’t get onto the field but he’ll be out there to battle with Myles Garrett. What of Mr. Jurgens?
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert jumped into the issue on social media, speculating about how things could play out: “Christian Darrisaw took his weekly day of veteran rest, so a very thin O-line today. Too early to know Jurgens’ prognosis, but Blake Brandel had/has been slated to start at LG. So if Brandel has to play C on Sunday, the Vikings would be down to C3, LG3 and RT2 (Justin Skule).”
Seifert does good work, so I hesitate to quibble. Nevertheless, I do wonder if things would go a bit differently.
Assume things go poorly and Michael Jurgens can’t go. Okay, what now? Turning to UDFA G/C Joe Huber may make more sense than shuffling Blake Brandel. Doing so would allow Brandel to keep working within his LG spot — where he has the most experience in his career — while only doing a one-for-one shuffle. Out comes Michael Jurgens, in goes Joe Huber. Generally speaking, coaches prefer as little disruption as possible to the offensive line, a five-in-one position group that is dependent on strong cohesion across multiple players.
Admittedly, that’s just an educated guess. The Vikings like the UDFA rookie and have worked him at center. They may nevertheless look to guard Huber (pun intended) by keeping him off the field, allowing him to gain more NFL experience.
Presumably, interior o-lineman Henry Byrd is going to be elevated from the practice squad to function as depth on Sunday. Any chance he ends up playing some snaps?
Cleveland’s formidable front is coming up on Sunday, October 5th. The game is taking place in London, so don’t sleep in. Minnesota will show up on your television screens at 8:30 a.m. Going into the bye at 3-2 will feel a lot different than going into the bye at 2-3.
Whether Michael Jurgens plays is a sneaky important issue to monitor.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
