Vikings’ Key Puzzle Piece Suddenly Facing a Murky Future Due to Second Concussion of 2025
Don’t ever lose sight of a player’s long-term health.
Starting center Ryan Kelly is among the Vikings’ key puzzle pieces, but he’s now working through a concussion. Part of what makes that basic reality so discouraging is that the center has already had to overcome a concussion from earlier in the year. Oh, and the offensive line was already down LG1 Donovan Jackson and RT1 Brian O’Neill.
Vikings’ Key Puzzle Piece Stepping into Murky Future
So much of the appeal of adding Ryan Kelly rested in his experience.
As a Colt, Ryan Kelly worked with a pile of different passers. The offseason involved Kelly clarifying that he snapped the ball to a stunning thirteen different quarterbacks. The upside of working with so many different players is that the veteran should be well-equipped to acclimate to partnering with J.J. McCarthy.
Adding to the appeal of Mr. Kelly was (and is) his ample experience. After all, a center doesn’t climb up to snapping the ball to so many passers unless he has been in the NFL for a while.
The 1st-Round selection from 2016 has played in 124 games. In that past, Kelly has been allowed to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage. McCarthy is impressive but he can’t possibly be expected to solve every riddle that he’ll confront on an NFL football field. The response was to onboard a center who thinks the game at a high level and who can communicate well, taking some of the mental burden off of the 22-year-old quarterback.
Obviously, that plan — a very reasonable one — is facing strong headwinds.
Begin with the simple fact that McCarthy is working through an ankle injury. The Vikings have had to pivot at quarterback, promoting Carson Wentz to QB1 in Week 3 and Week 4. Very likely, Wentz will again get the nod in Week 5.
But then there’s the hole at center.
Michael Jurgens, a sophomore, is doing an admirable job. He got snagged in the 7th of the 2024 NFL Draft and has competed. Tip of the cap to Mr. Jurgens for stepping in as an injury fill-in, offering scrappy blocking in the process.
The issue is that Jurgens mirrors McCarthy: as a young fella, the C2 can’t be tasked with the high-level on-field processing that can only arrive after soaking up years of snaps. The experience shortcoming isn’t a problem with Wentz calling the shots, but what happens when McCarthy returns? The kid QB needs both strong blocking alongside strong pre-snap communication. Jurgens is a step back in both areas (and that’s no criticism to the young lineman).
After the game, Kevin O’Connell confirmed that Kelly was yet again in the concussion protocol. The head coach clarified that focusing on Kelly on a human level — not just as a football player — is a central factor that’s worked into the mix.
“Clearly, the health of our players is always,” the Vikings’ head coach said of Ryan Kelly, “the first, the beginning, the end, and the middle of that conversation.” Not too long afterwards, O’Connell committed to being “smart” while saying that Minnesota will “defer to the doctors” while saying that the injury isn’t something to “mess around with.”
Kudos to O’Connell for prioritizing the human above the player. Football is important; football will never be as important as an individual’s health, especially when we’re talking about someone’s brain.
The Vikings’ next opponent is the Cleveland Browns, a 1-3 football team that’s leaning on an impressive defensive front to find success. Myles Garrett is perhaps the most fearsome defender in football, so look for that matchup. Minnesota’s depleted offensive line is going to have its hands full.
Kickoff for Week 5 takes place on Sunday, October 5th at 8:30 a.m CT. Overcoming the injury turmoil will mean going into the bye at 3-2.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
