Looks Like the Vikings Dodged a Major Bullet
Josh Metellus went down with an injury in joint practices against the Patriots, but the initial word appears to be that the Vikings dodged a major bullet.
Consider the update that arrived courtesy of Andrew Krammer of The Star Tribune: “This isn’t good. Josh Metellus just went down as Drake Maye completed a deep ball to Kayshon Boutte to win their situational drill. Medical staff circled around Metellus, who was holding his left arm/side.”
Thankfully, the positive updates were soon to follow. Kick it back to Krammer: “After practice, safety Josh Metellus signed autographs and did not appear alarmed by the injury suffered at the end. He has a shoulder injury, Kevin O’Connell said, that will require further evaluation.”
The phrasing from Kevin O’Connell suggests that things don’t appear too serious. The Vikings’ social media team highlighted the coach discussing his safety, who describes the issue as “just a little shoulder” that needs to be “evaluated.” In football terms, Metellus may have had a stinger, but I don’t want to travel too far down the medical speculation path.
The Vikings Dodged a Bullet (Probably)
Losing Josh Metellus would be a major, major hit to the Brian Flores defense.
Coming into training camp, a lot of the focus was on the defender’s contract status. There was a very obvious issue that needed to be rectified: he was making a mere pittance at just $4 million per season (which is to say nothing of going into the final year of his deal). GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah found a solution, one that sees Mr. Metellus tripling his annual average on his new contract that keeps in Minnesota through the 2028 season.
Now, bring things around to football.
Just last season, Josh Metellus played all kinds of positions for Coach Flores. At the top were 512 snaps in the box and then 330 snaps in the slot. So, close to the line of scrimmage as a linebacker and slot corner. He put up 90 snaps at free safety. There were then 63 snaps along the defensive line alongside 33 snaps as a wide corner.
Hard to find someone who can mirror that kind of deployment, especially since Metellus’ regular season involved picking up 210 snaps on specials. Oh, and he’s a team captain and cherished teammate. An irreplaceable player, to be sure.
Already, the Vikings have dealt with some tough injury news. Rondale Moore stands out since he’s missing his second-straight season. But then there has been the loss of Matt Nelson alongside Zeke Correll. Plus, the Justin Jefferson hamstring ailment has caused a bit of anxiety in Minnesota, in no small part due to him missing time in 2023 with a hamstring issue.
When it comes to Josh Metellus, the hope is obviously that he’ll be back to full health in short order.
Even if things prove to be minor, Mr. Metellus is going to be treated with caution. Don’t expect him to get any playing time against the Patriots, a reality that was likely going to come to fruition regardless of whether there was an issue stemming from joint practices.
Metellus began as a 6th-Round selection who originally was placed on the practice squad. He worked his way onto the 53-man roster as a special teams contributor before forcing his way into the defense. As a result, Metellus should function as an inspiration for any depth player currently on the fringe of Minnesota’s roster.
No, not every player proves to be as excellent as the safety, but carving out a great career is possible. Josh Metellus, 27, has proven as much.
Hopefully, word emerges soon of him being fully healthy.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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