The Vikings Lose a Big Fella as Line Depth Takes a Step Back
Priority No. 1 for the preseason is to walk out of the game healthy. For the most part, the Vikings achieved the goal, but didn’t come out of the game totally unscathed.
One begins by thinking of Rondale Moore, the receiver/punt returner who had just overcome an injury that stole all of his 2024 season. But then there was another injury, one that is going to sideline an offensive lineman for a long time. More specifically, backup center Zeke Correll is going to be in the infirmary because of an ankle injury.
The Vikings Lose a Big Fella
Kevin O’Connell addressed the issue immediately after Saturday’s game, clarifying that a quick x-ray showed the nature of the injury.
“And then late there, you saw Zeke Correll did,” O’Connell explains, “we’ve already x-rayed that, that is a right ankle fracture.” O’Connell then says that the broader roster is “relatively healthy” but that there is a “hate, hate, hate” — he did repeat the word a trio of times for emphasis — for the “significant injuries” that arrived for Moore and Correll.
Now, one important point to address: I’m not a medical doctor, so I won’t speculate about how long an ankle fracture takes to heal. Presumably, there’s a bit of a range for what’s normal, but I’ll leave that kind of analysis to the Vikings’ medical staff.
What is clear is that the depth center is going to need to take some time to get back to full health. The injury is going to put his push for a roster spot on hold, shifting the emphasis to getting his body right.
For a little while, Garrett Bradbury was the C1 in Minnesota. He offered athleticism that was second to none but he regularly struggled to anchor in pass protection. Very sensibly, the Vikings decided that an upgrade was needed to begin the J.J. McCarthy era.
Ryan Kelly got signed to a two-year deal during the offseason after close to a decade of excellent football with the Colts. Mr. Kelly offers strong leadership, communication, and intelligence. His experience will allow him to fill-in the gaps in McCarthy’s knowledge (or lack thereof), better equipping the sophomore to handle all that’s being asked of him in 2025.
Next up on the depth chart is Michael Jurgens, someone who is entering his second NFL season. He played quite a bit in the opening preseason game, seeming to do quite well. No doubt, Jurgens would be a drop off from Kelly — a veteran who has been a Pro Bowler and All Pro — but the hope/plan in Minnesota is to have Kelly for the majority (if not all) of the games.
Zeke Correll was battling to be the C2, an ambition that will now be put on hold.
To become a Viking, Correll agreed to a three-year deal that’s pretty standard for UDFAs. The total compensation within that contract was sitting at $2.975 million. A critical detail to note within the mix is that he saw $65,000 guaranteed, which is a medium amount within the world of Vikings UDFA contracts.
The Vikings will move ahead with Kelly and Jurgens as the main options at center. One wonders about Joe Huber or Blake Brandel getting asked to snap the ball a bit, too.
Minnesota will open a roster spot by putting Zeke Correll on the IR. Doing so could then result in a new center coming to town. Already, an effort has been made to address the depth issue with the claim for Michael Gonzalez.
More help could be on the way.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
