The Issue with Christian Darrisaw’s Injury? Sending Trainers Into Orbit.
Almost by definition, NFL players are unusually strong people. Even by the standards present in the NFL, though, Christian Darrisaw is tremendously strong.
A recent word from Kevin O’Connell underscored that idea. To be sure, the head coach was being a bit comedic, passing along a hyperbolic description as a way of emphasizing how strong Darrisaw is. Even still, there’s some important insight we can glean from O’Connell’s words about the stud at left tackle.
Christian Darrisaw Sending NFL Trainers Flying
Before going any further, consider what O’Connell had to say.
“It was just a matter of, he’s progressed to a point that,” O’Connell insisted, “if you put some trainers out in front of him, he’s probably, we’re going to have to go find those trainers after he throws them over the fence ’cause he’s that strong. So we had to get him back around real football players.”
Again, O’Connell is being a bit cheeky. The point, however, is a good one: Darrisaw’s injury recovery has made so much progress that asking regular human beings — NFL trainers — to work against him felt a touch unfair. Better to let the tackle tango with NFL players.
Admittedly, the task can be difficult since fans are accustomed to following the football — and, by extension, watching what the quarterback does — but take some time to focus specifically on #71 when he gets back onto the field.
There’s an ease within Darrisaw’s movements that make him special. Someone who is 6’5″ and 315 pounds shouldn’t move so effortlessly. Also impressive is the electricity that he packs in his mitts. Darrisaw can be a bully along the line of scrimmage, a commendable ability that speaks to not just God-given talent — something that’s abundantly present — but also his work ethic and competitiveness.
At this stage, only a single thing is holding Darrisaw back: health, or a lack thereof.
As a rookie in 2021, the offensive tackle was only available for a dozen games. He started ten (653 snaps on offense). Things improved as a sophomore, starting all fourteen games he was available (853 snaps on offense). He improved yet again in his third season, starting in fifteen games where he was available (982 snaps on offense). The greatest issue arose in 2024, his fourth season, when he started just seven games (392 snaps on offense).
As for the level of play, a positive assessment can be found on PFF, an analytics website that insists Darrisaw is among the NFL’s most impressive left tackles.
In 2022, Darrisaw earned the best grade of his career, finishing up at 2nd overall among offensive tackles with a sizzling 90.4 grade. His rookie season was solid — finishing with a 71.9 grade — while his 2023 and 2024 have involved being in the low-80s. Step back from those numbers (a bit esoteric to some) and put things in plain language: Christian Darrisaw is a top-ten option at OT.
Working on a four-year deal that’s committing a total of $104 million to him, Darrisaw will soon look like a bargain if he can avoid the infirmary. His cap charge in 2025 is sitting at a bit below $9.7 million. Next year, the number moves beyond $23 million before climbing higher afterwards. Those cap charges will be worth it as long as he’s healthy.
At this point, basically anyone around the Vikings knows about the massive investment the Vikings have made along the offensive line. Brian O’Neill has been a stud for a long, long time, putting together excellent play for years without there being too much consistency around him. Tossing Donovan Jackson in at LG, Ryan Kelly in at C, and Will Fries in at RG should radically change things.
The cherry on top will be Christian Darrisaw, someone who has the ability to be better than them all.
Hope exists that Christian Darrisaw will be ready in time for Week 1. If Darrisaw can’t go, then Justin Skule is likely to get the nod to be J.J. McCarthy’s blindside protector.
Christian Darrisaw is 26.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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