The Minnesota Vikings are going into the season with another one of their star players on offense coming off a torn ACL in left tackle Christian Darrisaw. He participated in mandatory minicamp, and things were looking good for him.
Some of that has cooled, as The Athletic's Alec Lewis poured some water on the fire that he will be ready to go for week one.
Will he be back in time for Week 1? That’s probably a rosy expectation at this point. Still, Darrisaw has attacked his rehab. The Vikings have commended his progress.
Vikings are taking a cautious approach with Christian Darrisaw
When we saw Darrisaw on the field with mandatory minicamp, it wasn't too much of a surprise, but it also was. Let me explain.
Darrisaw was injured on October 24th and had surgery shortly thereafter. It's notable that Darrisaw was able to have surgery so quickly, as tight end T.J. Hockenson had to wait a month to get his surgery due to damage to his MCL.
Once a player has surgery for a torn ACL, it's at minimum a nine-month recovery. Adrian Peterson is a unique case, as he came back from a Christmas Eve torn ACL to starting week one eight months later.
The biggest difference between the Peterson situation and how the Vikings will currently handle Darisaw is the medical staff. This staff is notoriously conservative when it comes to injury. Hockenson likely could have played a couple of weeks before he finally suited up for the Vikings in 2024, but they waited until it was an optimal situation for him.
These comments from head coach Kevin O'Connell about right guard Will Fries highlight those elements.
"Yeah, he’s been — it’s almost hard to believe with how strong he is, some of the things you're hearing about from what he's doing in the weight room — but we're being really smart with the injury that it was, and then once we're able to kind of get him in and get a feel for that, you know, knowing how we handle the spring, 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 champ. 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."
Where does that leave the Vikings with Darrisaw? It's an interesting spot right now. They signed Justin Skule to be the swing tackle, and he started multiple games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year. With Josh Oliver as the blocking tight end, the Vikings can manage without him for a game or two as he gets ready. Waiting won't be the biggest deal for the Vikings, as they are more concerned with making the Super Bowl than maximizing the first few weeks.
It feels like we shouldn't expect Darrisaw to be the guy in week one. However, things can change, and we will monitor it throughout all of training camp.
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