Christian Darrisaw’s Latest Injury Recovery News Is Fantastic
Last season, the Minnesota Vikings lost their star left tackle Christian Darrisaw for the remainder of the season in Week 8 when he tore his ACL and MCL against the Los Angeles Rams.
Of course, the Vikings instantly went out and got Cam Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he started the remainder of the year at left tackle. Minnesota responded by finishing the season 14-3, but their offensive line certainly had a different feel without its biggest star in the lineup.
Vikings fans have been wondering for awhile how long they will have to wait before seeing No. 71 back on the field, and based on Kevin O’Connell’s news from Tuesday afternoon, we won’t have to wait much longer.
Kevin O’Connell Gives Updates on Christian Darrisaw, Other Injuries
O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah both held a press conference ahead of training camp on Tuesday, and during that presser, O’Connell gave updates on a few of the injured Vikings.
The Vikings head coach revealed that Darrisaw will not be starting training camp on the PUP list, meaning the left tackle could begin practicing as early as this week.
Darrisaw, Minnesota’s first-round pick in 2021, has been a cornerstone of the offensive line for the Vikings since his arrival, and pairing with Brian O’Neill, the duo has created one of the best tackle tandems in the entire NFL.
Darrisaw isn’t the only Viking with excellent injury recovery news, though. O’Connell revealed that both Rondale Moore and Will Fries will avoid the PUP list as well to start training camp.
Moore missed the entire 2024 season due to a torn ACL suffered during training camp last summer. Meanwhile, Fries played just five games before suffering a tibial fracture that ended his campaign.
All three players being available for the start of camp is huge in a number of ways as the starting offensive linemen can begin building chemistry with other newcomers like Donovan Jackson and Ryan Kelly. Meanwhile, Moore can begin making his case for a roster spot in what appears to be a pretty deep wide receiver room.
Of course, the news comes just after it was announced that two Vikings would be starting camp on the PUP list, so Minnesota isn’t completely unscathed in the injury department. They will be without both TE Gavin Bartholomew and OLB Chaz Chambliss.
Still, the work by this trio to get back on the field is remarkable. O’Connell touched on it during the presser.
“I want to highlight the work they put in this summer to put themselves in a position to be out on the grass practicing, all in different capacities, but we are very pleased with where all those guys are at,” O’Connell said of Darrisaw, Fries, and Moore. “We have great plans on the calendar for those guys and cannot to see that kind of come to fruition.”
All in all, the Vikings received some fabulous news regarding some very important pieces of their team heading into this final preparation period before the regular season gets underway.
Vikings football will officially kick off the regular season in 47 days when they take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field for Monday Night Football.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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