No Ligament Damage for Promising Vikings WR
Minnesota Vikings training camp became somber Tuesday — the team’s words — when upstart wide receiver Trishton Jackson suffered an apparent knee injury and was carted off the Eagan field.
Jackson is vying for a WR5 job this summer, and the immediacy of his injury seemed to be a death blow.
No Ligament Damage for Promising Vikings WR
But to his delight, the Vikings sigh of relief, and fans’ glee, Jackson avoided major injury, according to Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling.
“Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said receiver Trishton Jackson avoided any ligament damage to his knee after his injury yesterday. Good news for the Vikings after Jackson was carted off,” Goessling tweeted on Wednesday.
Minnesota also encountered outwardly minor injuries to Alexander Mattison and Andrew Booth on the same day as Jackson’s scare, but no dooming details emerged about those ailments.
Jackson hasn’t quite caught on for a roster spot through three seasons in the league. An undrafted free agent with the Rams in 2020, Jackson stayed on Los Angeles’ depth chart for about a year and a half before eventually landing with the Vikings in 2021. He’s impressed back-to-back Vikings coaching staffs and general managers.
This summer, though, Jackson has a puncher’s chance to make the 53-man roster on August 29th, a hypothesis that can remain intact with positive news from Wednesday.
He’s vying for a roster spot among WR5 candidates like Jalen Reagor, Brandon Powell, and Blake Proehl. And none of those men is overly formidable, at least per 53-man roster positioning. Reagor joined the Vikings via trade late last summer but underwhelmed in 2022. Powell arrived this offseason via free agency and is conducting a marvelous training camp; he may be difficult to dethrone for a roster spot. Proehl is working his way back from injuries, so WR5 is a horse race.
Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor have the first four WR spots all but locked up.
The Vikings first preseason game is eight days away, traveling to Seattle for an exhibition date with the Seahawks. Head coach Kevin O’Connell tipped his hand last year about starters’ roles in the preseason, and first-teamers are not expected to play at Seattle — or in the final two preseason showdowns.
Jackson caught 66 passes for 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final season at Syracuse four years ago.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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