The Plot Thickens for Christian Darrisaw
Minnesota Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw hasn’t participated in any game in the regular season or the preseason since suffering a torn ACL last October. The good news is that his recovery is nearing an end, and a Week 1 return has been a fairly realistic goal for the franchise blocker.
The Plot Thickens for Christian Darrisaw
Darrisaw made a surprise return to the field in minicamp in June and then avoided the PUP list to start training camp in July. The Vikings slowly ramped up his workload throughout July and August.
On Wednesday, the club had a walkthrough and a practice session, and Darrisaw was part of the crew on the practice field. It was also a media day, with Kevin O’Connell talking to the local press.
Here’s what O’Connell said Wednesday: “He had a great camp, checked every box from a workload standpoint, building into this week. He’ll practice today. Always, with CD, just with how committed he’s been to taking the daily approach, we’ve done the same with him. We’re gonna progress forward and be smart, but we’re gonna give him every opportunity to practice and then see how he feels, and ultimately, in regards to his availability, we’ll make that decision as the week progresses. He looks really good.”
It’s essential to take those injury updates with a grain of salt, especially with a coach like O’Connell, who tends to use optimistic language. However, that undoubtedly sounded like a coach who will have his star tackle back in the lineup five days later, more likely than not.
“I think he surprised even himself early on in training camp, as we began that crafted plan by Tyler Williams and the doctors and Christian himself. He’s had some really good progression days where we’ve been able to stack it up. And we’re in game week now. He’s gonna take a lot of reps today, if not all of them, and then we’ll see how he feels,” Kevin O’Connell added.
Darrisaw, a 2021 first-rounder, showed flashes of excellence in his rookie season and then made the jump into the upper echelon of offensive tackles in his second campaign. Ever since, he’s been an elite player for the Vikings, although he’s still looking for his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod. An injury-free season would go a long way, as he hasn’t had one yet.
O’Connell then chose some more cautious words, “Ultimately, Christian’s such an important player to our team that we want to make sure we’re smart about the plan, but also, I think he’s earned the right to, by all the things he’s done — there’s no reason to make the decision for any other reason than what’s best for CD, and he’s gonna be heavily involved in that. Knowing we’ve got 17 games, including a short week next week, and then ultimately our trip overseas. There’s gotta be a big picture mindset to a player of Christian’s caliber.”
Last year, T.J. Hockenson was in a comparable situation, returning from a torn ACL. His comeback came in Week 9. The Vikings were extra careful and perhaps gave their top tight end a couple of extra weeks off. It’s hard to compare injuries from the outside, though.
“All that matters is this game to the Minnesota Vikings, Monday night in Chicago, but our jobs are to make sure we’re doing what’s best for the team for the greater duration of 17-plus games. And what that means for Monday night, I don’t know as of right now. I just know what my eyes have shown me, what Christian’s demonstrated has given us, through a really calculated plan, a good possibility of him playing on Monday night,” O’Connell concluded.
There’s a “good possibility” that first-time starter J.J. McCarthy has his blindside protector looking out for him.
Darrisaw was asked about his status, and he replied, “I’ll leave that up to the training staff and [Kevin O’Connell]. I will do what they allow me to do every day. When I feel ready and they feel confident in me, I know I’ll be out there, playing at the same level as I was before.”
Nobody is fully revealing the plan, of course, but all things considered between the practice participation and the comments, it’s looking a lot like Mr. Darrisaw will be on the field Monday, unless the Vikings decide to be extra cautious, once again.
If he can’t go, it would be Justin Skule, a veteran tackle, to start in his place.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.