Vikings Have 4 Big Injuries to Monitor
The Minnesota Vikings began the 2025 season with a head-turning win in Chicago, downing the Bears by three points and prevailing in quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s first-ever game.
The Vikings have four big injuries to track as they prepare for Sunday Night Football. Here’s the latest on who’s hurt and what’s next.
Next, the club will play Sunday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons, a 2023 National Championship rematch between quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and the aforementioned McCarthy.
Minnesota’s injury report will be worth monitoring this week, mainly involving four key names.
4 Big Injury Concerns for the Vikings Right Now
The players to watch on the Week 2 injury report for the Vikings.
Blake Cashman | LB
Monitoring Cashman’s status this week, unfortunately, will probably be more about a verdict on injured reserve. Pursuing Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on Monday night, Cashman pulled up gimpy while holding his hamstring, hinting at an extended absence.
Hamstrings don’t typically heal in five or six days.
Cashman’s next step will be determining the number of games absent, and it feels likely that he could be out until October, perhaps after the team’s bye in Week 5.
Without Cashman, the Vikings will call upon Eric Wilson, who played wonderfully at Chicago. The free-agent market always contains a few noteworthy linebackers as well.
Our Janik Eckardt noted on Cashman this week, “Cashman might be the most underrated player on Minnesota’s defensive roster, considering everyone knows the edge rushers or Harrison Smith. Even Joshua Metellus has gained some steam from a national perspective, and Byron Murphy Jr. went to the Pro Bowl.”
“But nobody ever mentions Cashman, who was an excellent signing in March of 2024 to replace Jordan Hicks. The Minnesota native immediately took charge of the play-calling and just made plays, resulting in 112 tackles and 4.5 sacks despite missing three contests due to a hamstring injury.”
Cashman turned 29 in May.
“In the three games he missed, the Vikings struggled on defense, matching up against the Rams and Lions, who cracked the code of Flores’ defense last year. We’ll never know whether that could’ve worked differently with him, and it’s only fair to point to the end of the season, when the same opponents also came out victorious versus the Vikes,” Eckardt added.
“Still, Cashman is clearly a great linebacker, with the ability to rush the passer, stop the run, and cover. He’s a versatile player who’s good in all areas, and his absence will hurt the Vikings.”
Christian Darrisaw | LT
Darrisaw could be back this weekend for the showdown with Atlanta.
The man tore his ACL last October, and all signs pointed to his Week 1 return after a summer of tremendous progress and optimism. However, with Soldier Field’s surface notoriously shaky and unforgiving, Minnesota operated out of an abundance of caution, of which no fan particularly objected.
This week will be all about Darrisaw’s ramp-up, and he has a reasonable shot to play, much like last week. In fact, Darrisaw practiced fully late last week, indicating an imminent return.
“I still wanted to get that field work. We’re just taking it a day at a time. That time is coming, and I’m going to know it whenever I’m comfortable and confident,” Darrisaw told the Star Tribune after the win on Monday.
Jeff Okudah | CB
Okudah was evaluated for a concussion on the game’s final play against the Bears, which was unfortunate timing since Chicago was just concluding a jungle gym play that was unlikely to work in the first place.
The new Vikings cornerback didn’t stand out in his debut, so he’ll need a rebound performance before too long. Sans Okudah, defensive coordinator Brian Flores would turn to Dwight McGlothern on the depth chart or promote practice squader Fabian Moreau.
Fans have also mentioned Stephon Gilmore’s free-agent status, a man who played for the 2024 team and has not signed anywhere since free agency opened in March.
A to Z Sports‘ Tyler Forness on Okudah: “We knew that Okudah was going to be the CB3, and it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. He was an NFL Draft bust as the third overall pick, and has been far from consistent throughout his career. The one thing that the Vikings thought they could get out of him is the ability to run with receivers, which is the one thing that neither Shaquill Griffin and Stephon Gilmore could do last year.”
“In week one, Okudah played just 16 defensive snaps (24%), while the safeties got a long run. Theo Jackson and Josh Metellus played all 67 snaps, and Jay Ward played 25 with Harrison Smith out. Will this continue moving forward, even when Smith does play? It also doesn’t help that Okudah is now being evaluated for a concussion after the final play of the game.”
Harrison Smith | S
Smith missed the first Week 1 game of his career on Monday, battling a mysterious injury deemed “personal.”
Sources told VikingsTerritory that Smith would likely be ready for the season opener, but the intel proved faulty, as Minnesota proceeded cautiously with Smith, just like it did with Darrisaw.
Theo Jackson and Jay Ward took over Smith’s workload at Soldier Field, and Ward especially looked great, logging a 77.1 Pro Football Focus grade. Keeping track of Smith’s practice schedule will provide Week 2 clues.
You must be logged in to post a comment.