Vikings Reinforcements Arrive Next Week
The Minnesota Vikings have been pretty banged up this season, missing nearly a third of the starting players to injury in recent weeks. Well, the operation has reached its annual bye week, and it’s certainly the perfect time to rest and recover a little.
Vikings Reinforcements Arrive Next Week
On Monday, a day after the squad pulled off a comeback victory over the Cleveland Browns, head coach Kevin O’Connell addressed the media, and he had some sweet news.
Emily Leiker of the Star Tribune reported from the presser, “Kevin O’Connell says QB J.J. McCarthy, LG Donovan Jackson, C Michael Jurgens and LB Blake Cashman are expected to practice next week heading into the Eagles game. Cashman will be returning from IR.”
Of course, any returning player is a positive, but some of those are potential big-time assets down the stretch.
Let’s start with the elephant in the room, Mr. McCarthy. Backup Carson Wentz has secured a 2-1 record in his absence. He was not asked to do much in the first one, as the defense spanked Cincinnati quite hard. In the defeat against Pittsburgh. Wentz tossed the rock for 350 yards, but without playing well, as strange as that sounds. Against the Browns, he had a solid game, avoiding any costly mistakes, and he was lethal on the game-winning drive.
Yet, it still feels like there’s some untapped potential on the offensive side of the ball, and McCarthy might provide a higher ceiling for the remainder of the season and in years to come. His continued development is the crucial item on Minnesota’s bingo card.
McCarthy is returning from a sprained ankle, and the Vikings have been vocal about him needing a full practice week to be considered for the starting role. It remains to be seen whether he can reach that status in time for the Week 7 game against the Eagles. In his first two career games, McCarthy showcased some of the skills that had folks in the building excited about his future all offseason.
A player with comparable importance for the purple squad is linebacker Blake Cashman. He’s in his second season in his home state, and his presence is crucial for Brian Flores’ defense. Eric Wilson has replaced him, but Cashman is simply a more complete linebacker. His return could give the club a boost in defending the ground game.
Cashman landed on IR with a hamstring injury after the season opener.
Guard Donovan Jackson primarily made a positive impression during his time with the Vikings. The first-rounder had been a solid guard, even firing up a sound game against the Bengals despite entering the week with a wrist injury that required surgery after the game. In Week 5, undrafted rookie Joe Huber played left guard on the injury-riddled line.
Speaking of the line, backup center Michael Jurgens is ready to return, too. He missed Week 5, and with starter Ryan Kelly on IR due to his second concussion of the season, it’s important to get the sophomore back into the lineup. Blake Brandel made his center debut against the Browns, but that’s not a long-term solution. Jurgens will get at least three games to audition for the center position for years to come.
The two players O’Connell didn’t mention are right tackle Brian O’Neill and defender Andrew Van Ginkel. The latter is dealing with a neck injury that sidelined him for both overseas games. Dallas Turner has stepped up, but something is missing without Gink roaming the defense.
O’Neill suffered a sprained MCL versus the Steelers that kept him out of the Browns bout. Neither starter seems close to returning, although things can certainly change within a week.
Either way, help is on the way.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.