WR Suffers the First Significant Injury at Vikings Training Camp
Janik Eckardt
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Injuries are part of football and life in the NFL, although certainly the worst. Most Vikings fans remember Teddy Bridgewater’s injury, dislocating his knee. As a result, he missed the full 2016 season, and it derailed his career as a starter. Undrafted rookie Blake Proehl got hurt in the training camp of his rookie season, spending the season on IR, and teammate Olabisi Johnson tore his ACL in back-to-back preseasons after having a promising start to his career.
WR Suffers the First Significant Injury at Vikings Training Camp
Once again, a wide receiver got hurt. This time it was Trishton Jackson who has been battling to win a roster spot after missing out last year.
Ben Goessling tweeted during Tuesday’s practice: “They’re getting the cart for Vikings receiver Trishton Jackson, who went down with what appeared to be a right knee injury after a deep ball on the sideline. Justin Jefferson, Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah all went over to check on him.”
Neither needing the cart, the term’ knee injury,’ nor the important folks in the organization checking on him are good signs. Jackson had made some noise in training camp, making some excellent plays. Less than 24 hours before going down, the official Vikings account posted a phenomenal grab of him that made some headlines on Monday.
A one-handed catch while falling down is a sensational play.
Jackson is 25 years old and went undrafted in 2020, Justin Jefferson’s draft, out of Syracuse. He also played at Michigan State for three seasons. In his final season at Syracuse, Jackson caught 66 passes for 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Los Angeles Rams signed him as a UDFA. He stayed with the team in 2020 but was waived in 2021 without appearing in a game. Notable is that Kevin O’Connell was there with him.
Minnesota signed Jackson to their practice squad in 2021, and hasn’t left the team since. In the first season of O’Connell’s tenure in Minnesota, Jackson made some excellent plays in training camp, similar to this season, but he barely missed out on the 53-man roster, having to spend another campaign on the practice squad. He recorded five catches for 71 yards in last year’s preseason, only trailing Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
Without the camp standout on the field, someone else will have a chance to make noise and get closer to making the 53-man roster. While that sounds awfully cruel, it is life in the NFL. The Vikings employ 12 wide receivers, with Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and K.J. Osborn having a secured roster spot. Sophomore Jalen Nailor missed a few days in camp but should make the team as he flashed some potential.
Behind those guys, it is a real competition. Brandon Powell is trying to take away the punt return job of Jalen Rageor. Thayer Thomas, Garett Maag, and Cephus Johnson are undrafted rookies. The aforementioned Proehl is back in camp for the first time since 2021, and the team signed XFL star Lucky Jackson a few months ago.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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