Vikings Playmaker Is Back

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports.

Eight games have come and gone, and Minnesota Vikings tight end Nick Muse is eligible to return.

Vikings Playmaker Is Back

The young tight end broke his hand in Week 2 in a win over the San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota placed him on the shelf.

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.

Vikings.com’s Craig Peters wrote Wednesday, “The Vikings on Wednesday announced tight end Nick Muse has returned to practice. The move opens a 21-day evaluation window for Muse, who was placed on short-term Injured Reserve on Sept. 18 after sustaining what Head Coach Kevin O’Connell described as a ‘small fracture’ in his hand.”

It’s unclear if Muse will be available as soon as this Sunday, but it’s worth noting that Vikings TE2 Josh Oliver did not practice Wednesday and is batting an ankle sprain. If Oliver is unavailable for Sunday’s tryst at the Chicago Bears, the Vikings would lean heavily into T.J. Hockenson, Johnny Mundt, and perhaps Robert Tonyan.

Minnesota tight end Nick Muse (34) gets around Tennessee Titans safety Mike Brown (44) at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. © Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK.

With Muse’s imminent return, this is the purple TE room in full:

  • T.J. Hockenson
  • Josh Oliver (Questionable)
  • Johnny Mundt
  • Nick Muse (Practice Window Opened)
  • Robert Tonyan (Practice Squad)
  • Sammis Reyes (Practice Squad)

Former Vikings tight end N’Keal Harry recently signed with the Seattle Seahawks.

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Muse, a South Carolina alumnus, has played in 14 regular season games since entering the NFL as a 7th-Round pick in 2022. He totaled 805 receiving yards in 31 games as a Gamecock from 2019 to 2021.

O’Connell told reporters after the win over San Francisco: “Want to just highlight Nick Muse, early on in the football game, he did have a small fracture in his, hand and he will … he could play, but it would require him to wear a big old cast on his hand and have that thing wrapped, so Nick’s value as a blocker and a pass catcher for us on game day, we thought it best to allow that thing to heal over the next three to four weeks.”

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images.

“He was placed on short-term IR, which will allow us to get Myles Gaskin as our third back on the roster. And then I’ll keep you guys posted about what the plan of attack is at the tight end position as the week goes on,” O’Connell added about Muse’s IR stint.

These are the Vikings’ other long-term injuries:

  • Mekhi Blackmon, CB (Knee, Out for season)
  • Christian Darrisaw, LT (Knee, Out for season)
  • Jeremy Flax, OL (Out for season)
  • Jordan Kunaszyk, LB (Out for season)
  • J.J. McCarthy, QB (Knee, Out for season)
  • Will Reichard, K (Quad, Out at Least 2 More Games)
  • NaJee Thompson, CB (Knee, Out for season)

Muse will turn 26 on Monday.


Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.