The Vikings Deliver Some Wonderful Injury News
Earlier in the offseason, the Vikings cleared quarterback J.J. McCarthy for football activities, and he has pretty much moved past his season-ending knee injury from last year. There’s nothing in OTAs or minicamp that the new QB1 has missed.
The Vikings Deliver Some Wonderful Injury News
Another franchise cornerstone, Christian Darrisaw, of course, missed all practices until mandatory minicamp. Surprisingly, however, he walked onto the practice field on Tuesday. Minnesota’s social media team used the opportunity to showcase the left tackle’s first steps in video form.
The video shows some straight-line work without ever going full speed. Change of direction at full speed is the final step of any knee recovery, and it’s not surprising he hasn’t reached that phase yet.
Regardless, it’s undoubtedly encouraging to see one of the team’s star players participate in a limited fashion less than nine months after his severe knee injury.
Darrisaw suffered a torn ACL and MCL on October 24th in Minnesota’s second loss of the season in Los Angeles. A Rams defender fell into his leg on a simple running play. Those injuries are generally unfortunate but happen in the violent sport of football.
Kevin O’Connell said about the recovery in April: “He’s had a really, really good offseason up until this point. The latest update I got, he’s lifting, he’s running […] The player that I see right now and the player that I know his teammates came back to see today, people were pretty excited.”
Prior to the incident, Darrisaw had been excellent as usual. Although he has yet to secure any accolades like Pro Bowls and All-Pro nominations, Vikings fans know he belongs among the very best in the business with outstanding play in the passing and running game.
His PFF grades through four seasons:
- 2021: 71.9 (36th of 83 eligible offensive tackles)
- 2022: 90.4 (2nd/81)
- 2023: 82.4 (8th/81)
- 2024: 81.4 (11th/81)
Darrisaw was the franchise’s first-round selection in the 2021 draft. Rick Spielman traded back with the Jets, landing an additional two third-rounders in the process. Those extra picks didn’t lead to anything, but he landed the big fish in the first when he got his hands on the Virginia Tech tackle.
After missing the first offseason and the first few games in his debut campaign, he entered the lineup about halfway through the 2021 season and showed immediate promise, looking like the organization’s long-time left tackle.
His big jump came in his 2022 offseason. Folks compared him to future Hall of Famer Trent Williams, and he, indeed, looked like one of those elite protectors with truly dominant play on Kirk Cousins’ blindside.
The only real concern has been injuries, as Darrisaw had a core muscle surgery ahead of his rookie year, followed by some ankle problems and a pair of concussions in the next two years, and now the knee injury. Through four seasons, Darrisaw has yet to play in all 17 games in a year. He logged a total of 48 contests in those four years.
It remains to be seen whether Darrisaw is ready for Week 1 or not. Usually, the Vikings play it safe with their important players they want to keep around for years to come, and a setback is the last thing Darrisaw or the club needs.
If he were to miss a few games, it would most likely be free-agent signing Justin Skule playing left tackle. Skule has been a backup offensive tackle for years and has the experience and talent to get the job done.
However, there’s undoubtedly nobody who can fully replace the great blocker. Darrisaw’s skill level allows him to play on an island, even against great pass rushers. In the running game, he is a people mover who can open running lanes like few others.
Darrisaw just turned 26. He signed a massive four-year deal worth $104,000,000 last offseason, and if healthy, that’s a bargain in today’s NFL economy. The final steps in his recovery will be an item to monitor in July and August when the Vikings hold their annual training camp.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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