Vikings Shut Down Next Starter for 4 Games
Starters that have already been placed on IR by the Minnesota Vikings are running back Aaron Jones and linebacker Blake Cashman. Furthermore, right tackle Brian O’Neill, pass rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and interior blockers Ryan Kelly and Donovan Jackson are out on Sunday. Well, one of those will have to sit out at least four games.
Vikings Shut Down Next Starter for 4 Games
Center Kelly suffered his second concussion within a few weeks, and at least the fifth documented concussion in his career. The Vikings place him on IR to give him the necessary time. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, “Vikings placed Ryan Kelly on injured reserve after he suffered his second concussion of the season last week. Kelly also had multiple concussions in Indianapolis. He now will be out a minimum of four weeks.”
Kelly was hired in March to provide an upgrade over long-time starter Garrett Bradbury. Minnesota’s 2019 first-rounder was released and joined the New England Patriots a few days later. He’s been solid for them.
Instead, the Vikings trusted Kelly to take his spot. PFF ranks Kelly as the league’s sixth-best center, so it was a decent move from a talent standpoint. However, injuries were a major concern for Kelly coming in, and that hasn’t changed in his seven months in Minnesota.
This decade, Kelly played in every game in a season only in 2022. He missed three games in 2023 and seven games last year. This season, he was sidelined in Week 3 and will be forced to sit out the next four games. Including the upcoming bye week, he’ll have five weeks to recover. The four games he’s guaranteed to miss are those against the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Chargers.
Of course, multiple concussions are a serious reason for concern. Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota’s skipper in his fourth season, talked about his center this week, “The health of our players is always the beginning, the end, and the middle of that conversation. So we’ll totally defer to the doctors and we’ll defer to the protocol. And then ultimately, we’re gonna want to make sure Ryan’s in a good place. That’s not anything I particularly ever want to mess around with, so we’ll be smart.”
The good news in the story is that fullback C.J. Ham has been activated from his stint on IR. He’ll just take Kelly’s roster spot, and there’s a good chance the Vikings will give him some run on Sunday, considering they’ll have three backups playing up front against one of the league’s elite defensive lines, including at center.
With Kelly out, it would usually be Michael Jurgens‘ spot, but the sophomore has been ruled out with a hamstring. As most teams only have two centers, it’s time to get creative. The Vikings will turn to veteran guard/tackle hybrid backup Blake Brandel and hand him his first center reps in his career.
Kelly signed a two-year deal in the offseason, worth $18 million. Just over half of that is fully guaranteed. If there are any concerns about his future, the Vikings could move on without incurring a significant financial burden.
He’s 32 years old.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.