Pair of Brutal Injuries Rattle Vikings Preseason
It wasn’t J.J. McCarthy this time for preseason injuries, but the Minnesota Vikings infirmary proved to be brutal nonetheless.
Two significant injuries have shaken the Vikings in the preseason, raising questions about roster depth and early-season readiness. Here’s what happened.
Kevin O’Connell’s team toppled the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday in a moderately entertaining exhibition fest, downing the starter-less Texans 20-10.
Along the way, the club lost wide receiver Rondale Moore and offensive lineman Zeke Correll.
2 Injuries Rock Vikings’ Preseason
The NFL’s inevitable evil affected Minnesota this weekend.
Rondale Moore Reinjures Knee
Moore has recently recovered from a torn ACL that he suffered as a member of the Atlanta Falcons last summer. If the initial reports are confirmed—they’re trending that way, unfortunately—Moore may have been beset by the same injury.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote, “Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore suffered a ‘pretty significant’ injury to his left knee against the Houston Texans on Saturday, coach Kevin O’Connell said. The injury came on Moore’s first play after returning from a major injury last season to his right knee.”
“O’Connell did not provide a specific diagnosis, pointing to an MRI test that will be conducted Sunday, but called the situation ‘heartbreaking.'”
Onlookers were pleasantly surprised that Moore returned to training camp late last month, and the speedster improved every step of the way in Eagan, even winning a temporary punt return job on the first unofficial depth chart. Meanwhile, with fellow wideout Jordan Addison scheduled to miss the regular season’s first three games, Moore could’ve played a substantial role in O’Connell’s offense out of the gate in September.
Now, those plans seem like one million years ago.
The Vikings signed Moore in March, on tap as a younger and faster version of wide receiver Brandon Powell, who played for the purple team in 2023 and 2024.
Now What at WR, PR?
In light of the Moore news, Minnesota will either turn to in-house receivers like Lucky Jackson, Silas Bolden, Jeshaun Jones, or Myles Price. Jackson has particularly thrived in recent weeks at training camp and even on Saturday in the preseason.
For Moore’s budding punt returning role, well, the Vikings will probably turn to the aforementioned Silas Bolden, who fielded punts after the Moore injury. Otherwise, Lucky Jackson or Myles Price could get a look.
O’Connell said about Moore’s setback, “It’s one of the most painful things for me as a head coach when I feel that emotion. I make a life out of trying to leave others better than I found them. In that situation, there is nothing I can do, which is the worst feeling as a coach. So you just consult with him and make sure that he knows he’s not going to be alone.”
Our own Janik Eckardt remarked on Moore’s plight, “Sadly, long absences have not been rare in Moore’s once promising career. He was electric in his freshman season at Purdue, looking like a future high draft pick. However, he played in only seven games over the next two seasons and ended up getting drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round.”
“Sometimes teams get positive news after initially fearing the worst, but those cases are rare. In all likelihood, Moore will be sidelined for quite some time again.”
Zeke Correll Fractures Ankle
Then, undrafted free agent center Zeke Correll broke his ankle. Star Tribune‘s Ben Goessling tweeted, “Right ankle fracture for Zeke Correll, who was injured late.”
Most players with fractured ankles miss 8-10 weeks of game action, which would reintroduce Correll to Vikings operations sometime in October — optimistically. It’s also worth noting that Correll was not assured a roster spot this season, so he could end up recovering for the whole 2025 campaign, gearing up for 2026 when he might be able to audition again.
Minnesota listed Correll as the third-team center before Saturday’s game, and the Vikings generally keep two centers, not three, in the regular season.
Diminished OL Depth
O’Connell and his coaching staff will rely on these interior offensive linemen for the rest of the preseason sans Correll:
- Ryan Kelly (C)
- Michael Jurgens (C)
- Will Fries (G)
- Donovan Jackson (G)
- Blake Brandel (G)
- Joe Huber (G)
- Henry Byrd (G)
- Vershon Lee (G)
Correll’s ankle fracture could prompt Minnesota to sign an extra depth center for the two remaining preseason games. It would be unlikely that Jurgens, for example, would play both preseason games from cover to cover.
Vikings.com claims that Vershon Lee, a recent free-agent addition, played center in college: “Started all 13 games at center in 2024 and led the offensive line with 959 snaps.”
Lee could be the one-for-one Correll replacement.
Starters Unlikely Rest of Way in Preseason
If the injuries spooked fans — understandably so.
While O’Connell typically rests starters — he played some Saturday, a deviation from his normal procedures — first-teamers will be in action this week against the New England Patriots at joint practices. Because that action will be so plentiful, O’Connell will probably put all starters on ice for next week’s preseason game.
Thereafter, the same starters likely won’t play in Preseason Game No. 3 at Tennessee, either.
More information about Moore and Correll will be available later this week.
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