Vikings Playmaker Won’t Be Ready Anytime Soon
While Minnesota Vikings fans are excited to the utmost for the preseason game in three days, one rookie won’t factor into that contest or the several after it.
A promising Viking is dealing with a significant injury. He’s not expected to be ready by September and may land on IR or the PUP list to start the 2025 campaign.
The Vikings’ 6th-Round pick, tight end Gavin Bartholomew, began training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and won’t hop off anytime soon.
Fans will need patience as he recovers from a back injury.
Injury to Vikings Tight End Won’t Be a Quick Turnaround
There’s a reason Minnesota recently signed veteran TE Nick Vannett.
Vikings Rookie TE Gavin Bartholomew Trending in the Wrong Direction
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson said on SKOR North this week that Bartholomew is “not expected to be ready in September,” “will not be on the field any time soon,” and that his injury is long-term.
That’s not a good trifecta for a promising rookie, or anybody for that matter, so Bartholomew’s current residence on the PUP list may feel semi-permanent. He’s not dealing with a tweak like Justin Jefferson’s hamstring or T.J. Hockenson’s groin.
All signs point to an extended recovery period for Bartholomew.
Patience Will Be a Virtue
Down the road, Bartholomew will return, and the franchise will see what it has in the Pittsburgh product. It’s just that his return is up in the air.
The Vikings watched as a veteran tight end, Johnny Mundt, left the team this offseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and some had big plans for Bartholomew as a replacement as early as this year. Now, that strategy must be readjusted, because the rookie isn’t trending to be ready for Week 1.
Bartholomew will become a project, not a Week 1 contributor.
The Vikings’ Current TE Room
Here’s the lay of the land among Bartholomew’s peers before the 53-man roster trim at the end of the month:
—— T.J. Hockenson
—— Josh Oliver
—— Ben Yurosek
—— Nick Vannett
—— Giovanni Ricci
—— Gavin Bartholomew (PUP)
Of course, Hockenson and Oliver will take care of most aerial targets from quarterback J.J. McCarthy. But the aforementioned Mundt more than proved over the last two seasons the vitality of a dependable TE3.
So, the Vikings will turn to someone else.
The Ben Yurosek Show
Yurosek has asserted himself at training camp. He has perfect timing with Bartholomew sidelined indefinitely.
Some draft heads believed the Georgia alumnus would be chosen somewhere from Round 4 through 7 in April, but he curiously fell off the board altogether. So, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pounced, signing Yurosek to a handsome UDFA deal, and now the guy is in line to win a TE3 job.
FantasyPro‘s Matthew Jones noted on Yurosek before the draft, “He is a versatile player and smooth athlete who can threaten down the seam or work as a safety valve in the passing game, showing impressive competitiveness as a blocker. Has the talent to contribute at the next level, but might fall into the mid-to-late-round range because of his lack of recent production.”
PurplePTSD’s Take on Yurosek as a Fill-In
Over at our partner site, PurplePTSD.com, Janik Eckardt remarked on Yurosek, the presumptive TE3: “As the Vikings prepare for sets that feature two tight ends, Oliver needs a running mate when Hockenson is missing, and Yurosek seems to be the next-man-up at this point. Yurosek, 23, spent his first four seasons in college at Stanford before transferring to Georgia prior to the 2024 campaign.”
“Throughout his career, he caught 123 passes for 1,527 yards and five touchdowns. Strangely, his most productive season came in 2021, when he scored three times and gained 658 yards. Like many young tight ends, Yurosek needs to get stronger to make the transition from college to the pros.”
The Vikings could also explore free agency for another tight end like Gerald Everett, who has ties to head coach Kevin O’Connell from the Los Angeles Rams era, or a different veteran when NFL teams shave rosters from 90 players to 53.
Eckardt added, “The same can be said about Bartholomew, too. From an athletic standpoint, both move well enough to step into Mundt’s role as the TE3 behind Hockenson and Oliver and catch a dozen passes a season. Yurosek recorded a 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds, making him one of the faster tight ends.”
“At this point, as Bartholomew continues to be absent, Yurosek has a realistic chance to make the 53-man roster. Performing well in the preseason will be the next step for the rookie.”
Eventually, folks will get a look at Bartholomew, but don’t expect it in early September.
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