Vikings Provide Major Injury Update
The Minnesota Vikings are back in full swing, getting organized team activities (OTAs) underway this week, a back-to-school event of sorts before a summer break.
Vikings organized team activities (OTAs) are cooking, and head coach Kevin O’Connell provided an injury update.
The team’s training camp will kick off in late July, and business will really pick up.
In the meantime, fans received a few glimpses of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the franchise’s one big shot at a savior. Additionally, head coach Kevin O’Connell updated the injury status of new guard Will Fries.
In short, the Vikings will “take it easy” with Fries this spring, preparing him for the grind of training camp.
Will Fries to Be Ready by Training Camp
Vikings.com’s Lindsey Young set the table on Wednesday, “O’Connell was asked about the timetable on free agent addition Will Fries, who suffered a broken right leg during the 2024 season with Indianapolis. The coaching and medical staff are happy with Fries’ progress, but O’Connell noted there’s no reason to rush recovery.”
Here’s what O’Connell said about Fries’ injury recovery timeline: “We’re being really smart with the injury that it was. I don’t know if we’ll see him fully active this spring, but I have no hesitation to say that I’m really excited to see him when he’s able to get out there, more than likely, for training camp.”
“There’s still a chance we could see him in some bits and pieces of work over the next two weeks. But he’s in a good spot.”
It’s worth noting that this brand of Vikings’ leadership has a documented track record of proceeding ultra-cautiously with all injury recoveries.
A Short Season in 2025
Fries broke out into stardom last year with the Indianapolis Colts, posting an exhilarating 86.9 Pro Football Focus grade through five games. But then disaster struck as Fries broke his leg and missed the Colts’ 12 final games.
His leg fracture did little to hamper his impending free agency, though, considered by most NFL pundits the second-best free-agent guard on the open market after Trey Smith, who returned to the Kansas City Chiefs before even seeing the light of day on the NFL’s marketplace.
So, Minnesota pounced on Fries and has helped his injury recovery along the way since March.
The Largest External FA Contract Given by Vikings GM
Fries was a monstrous free-agent signing for Vikings boss Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Before 2025, the young executive typically distributed small, short-term free agent contracts for players not named Jonathan Greenard. Yet, to land Fries, Adofo-Mensah spent $88 million over five years, his largest external free-agent contract since taking over in 2022.
Fries is only 27, and his career’s prime will occur in the Twin Cities.
Other Injuries to Monitor
Minnesota left tackle Christian Darrisaw tore his ACL last year in the middle of the season, and he’ll battle back to the lineup this September or October. No one is too sure if he’ll be ready Week 1.
Then, almost every Vikings free-agent newcomer — Fries, Ryan Kelly, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave — is returning from some kind of 2024 injury. It’s an unsung storyline of the summer that few have mentioned. Many of the Vikings’ newcomers were more affordable because of season-ending injuries in 2024.
Therefore, updates, like the one O’Connell provided about Fries, will be plentiful this summer.
Kevin O’Connell on Ryan Kelly, the Offensive Line
Speaking of Ryan Kelly, Fries’ teammate in Indianapolis, O’Connell spoke about his new center and the offensive line on Wednesday.
“He’s getting to know not only the quarterback, but he’s getting to know … just the calls, the feel, the timing of when he’s got to be responsible for some information, the dialogue between Brian O’Neill, who’s seen just about everything at that right tackle spot, and then the ability to communicate inside out in the huddle,” O’Connell told reporters.
“I’d love to have all five of those guys out there. But you know, Donovan got some great work in there today next to Ryan Kelly, [and] Blake was moving left and right today.”
Most fans absolutely commended Minnesota’s emphasis on the offensive line this offseason, a long-overdue answer to prayers.
O’Connell added, “So it does give you some real beneficial options to see guys progress through the learning phase and, shoot, all of a sudden, you’ve got three or four guys that maybe are a little more versatile than we thought, based on how they handled this phase.”
The Vikings’ first regular season game, at the Chicago Bears, is about 100 days away.
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