Two Vikings Receivers Held Out of Minicamp Practice on Tuesday
Josh Frey
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Ever since last week’s injury to Ihmir Smith-Marsette, the Minnesota Vikings remain short-handed at the wide receiver position. Now, it seems they are down another member, at least as of Tuesday. At Minnesota’s first day of mandatory minicamp, Smith-Marsette was seen walking around in a boot. This was expected but joining him on the sideline was another Vikings receiver. That player was third-year player, K.J. Osborn.
While Smith-Marsette’s injury is not expected to be a long-term setback, he is out for at least the remainder of minicamp and won’t return until training camp. It is unclear what Osborn’s injury is or how long he will be out. However, it does not seem like a serious injury at this juncture, either. In their stead, breakout candidate Olabisi Johnson took WR3 snaps with the ones.
Osborn was obviously a crucial piece to the Vikings receiver group in 2021. After a very quiet rookie season in which he couldn’t sniff the field on offense, he broke out in a big way, recording 655 yards and 7 touchdowns. In all likelihood, the third-year receiver will have a similarly large role for the Vikings in 2022. The Vikings receiver room isn’t the only group banged up right now, though. Two offensive linemen, Austin Schlottman and Vederian Lowe, were not on the field for the practice, either.
When Smith-Marsette’s injury occurred back in May, it seemed like the limited absence could be a blessing in disguise for Minnesota. It gives them a chance to see what they may have in some of the other receivers currently on the depth chart.
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Seeing as the Vikings currently have 12 receivers on their roster, everyone has to fight for their seat at the table. In particular, the sixth-round draft pick out of Michigan State, Jalen Nailor is a player to keep an eye on as practices get underway. He has the nickname “Speedy” for a reason. Whether it’s on the offense or special teams, the rookie could very well find a role on this team.
Tuesday seems like it was the Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson show, though. This isn’t too unexpected, considering it’s been a long offseason. The Vikings stars were itching to get on the field, and they must’ve been fired up on the first day. As camp wears on, we will surely get an idea of where the other Vikings receivers stand, and you can be sure that PurplePTSD as well as Vikings Territory will have all the analysis and news.
