Is 2025 Finally the Year for Christian Darrisaw to Receive Accolades?
Since entering the NFL in 2021, Christian Darrisaw has proven to be one of the most reliable left tackles in the entire NFL.
Even still, as Darrisaw enters his fifth season in the league, he has yet to be named a Pro Bowler nor an All-Pro. Of course, his knee injury in Week 8 of 2024 derailed any chance of last year being his first accolades, could 2025 finally be the year?
Will Christian Darrisaw Receive Accolades in 2025?
Josh Edwards of CBS Sports thinks this could be the year for Darrisaw to get well-deserved All-Pro recognition, but injury recovery is the big question that could influence voters’ decisions. The analyst recently did a deep-dive into all offensive positions to predict which players at each position will receive the awards.
Here is what Edwards had to say of Darrisaw:
Christian Darrisaw would be the clear choice if he were not returning from ligament strains. One would think that is a complicated recovery that would render him below peak performance for part or all of the upcoming season. It is also worth noting that this is one of the most difficult position groups to crack when considering Williams, Sewell, Johnson, Wirfs and Slater are almost annually in contention.
Darrisaw should benefit from having improved guard play next to him. The 26-year-old is in the neighborhood of the physical prototype at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds. He has not been selected to a Pro Bowl yet, either.
Darrisaw’s previous endeavors for accolades arguably all have been derailed because of injuries. Last year obviously is the most notable, but the left tackle has missed time in each of his first four NFL seasons, and in 2022, he did not play three games because of a concussion.
The star obviously needs to 1) get back on the field sometime soon, and 2) remain healthy throughout the season to have a chance at a Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection.
The Vikings did give an update on Darrisaw’s injury progress on Tuesday, and Kevin O’Connell announced that he will not be starting training camp on the PUP list, meaning he will be available to practice immediately. It remains to be seen what type of capacity those practices will be, but it’s a major step in the process for the star.
This year is also, hopefully, different for Darrisaw in that he has some very solid interior offensive linemen playing alongside him as Edwards mentions.
Donovan Jackson seems poised to take over the left guard position in Minnesota after being selected in the first round of this spring’s draft out of Ohio State. Jackson is a mauler, and he ensured the Buckeyes offensive line gave plenty of running lanes for backs and protection for QB Will Howard on the way to a national championship.
The Vikings also went out and spent big money on Will Fries and Ryan Kelly to take over at right guard and center, respectively. With a completely revamped interior offensive line, this very well could be Darrisaw’s best chance at finally earning some well-deserved awards.
Editor’s Note: Information from Spotrac and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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