Christian Darrisaw Is Returning, and That Is a Big Deal
Dustin Baker
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Alas, Minnesota Vikings rookie left tackle Christian Darrisaw is joining the team for practice. To date, the Virginia Tech alumnus has only practiced four times — not ideal for a player that was supposed to start Week 1.
Christian Darrisaw expected to return to practice Wednesday, get individual work and "go from there," Mike Zimmer said this morning.
— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) September 6, 2021
Darrisaw underwent surgery on his core muscle in August, an event not expected by most of the Vikings universe. Previously, the new Viking went under the knife in January, but Minnesota’s brass believed that was the end of it.
Until Darrisaw is ready — that could be this Sunday (unlikely) or perhaps weeks from now — veteran backup Rashod Hill will handle the LT1 duties. Hill’s been a member of the Vikings since 2016, so he undoubtedly knows the offense and the lay of the land.
Hill might do great. He might be terrible. That uncertainty is the penalty to Minnesota for leaving the left tackle job to chance during the offseason. General Manager Rick Spielman drafted Darrisaw in the 1st Round, and men from that section of the draft are tasked with starting sooner than later. Because Darrisaw is hurt, the Vikings will waltz into a penultimate 2021 season seemingly on eggshells for the left side of the offensive line.
However, the mere fact Darrisaw is scheduled to see the practice field is a big deal. Last year, Danielle Hunter was mysteriously hurt with something minor, but it turned out to be a neck injury that ended his season. If Darrisaw is checking out the field on Wednesday, betting odds suggest this is the start of his acclimation to the team — not a tunnel to the IR.
If Darrisaw gets to Wednesday and is still noticeably hurt, well, that’s a different story. That hypothesis is speculative for now.
A healthy Darrisaw is vital to the Vikings for two reasons. The obvious — his presence on the practice field kickstarts his development just before the season starts. That’s a substantial personal moment for the player. All NFL rookies need on-the-job training, and Darrisaw’s resumes on Wednesday.
The other reason is more important to the team. The Vikings need Darrisaw to be decent in Year One. This is the basket the front office wove. Left tackles such as Orlando Brown, Alejandro Villanueva, Eric Fisher, and others could have been explored by Minnesota in March. Nevertheless, Spielman chose the rookie route, and it must pay off sooner than later. Otherwise, the Vikings are in a miserable-but-familiar place with porous pass protection. The only football item that has routinely plagued the Mike Zimmer brand of Vikings is bad pass protection. Well — and some kicker-related stuff.
Drafting Darrisaw and right guard Wyatt Davis from Ohio State last April was the fix. So far — and it’s only preseason — it is not an immediate fix.
This version of Vikings does not have the luxury of bumbling through another season of poor offensive line play. It just doesn’t. For three seasons, fans imagined how productive Kirk Cousins might be if his pockets on Sunday were clean like many other NFL passers. Darrisaw and Davis were the dudes to actionize that great hope. This Sunday, though, Rashod Hill and Oli Udoh are the men tapped for duty.
So, when you see “Darrisaw will actually practice with the team,” it’s a significant development. He needed to take that step now — not in October or November.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday along with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).