Blake Cashman, Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
It has been a tough season for the Minnesota Vikings on the injury front. Kevin O’Connell has shuffled his lineups on a near weekly basis due. Thankfully the early bye turned out to be a blessing in disguise and the team looks as though they’ll see a cleaner bill of health in Week 7.
Speaking to the media on Monday, O’Connell gave the first updates following his teams bye week. The defense has been without their quarterback Blake Cashman since Week 1, that appears as though it will change.
Blake Cashman set to return against Eagles
Against the Chicago Bears in the season opener, linebacker Blake Cashman suffered a hamstring injury. The severity was significant enough that he wound up needing a stint on short-term injured reserve. Minnesota has been without their green dot on defense, but that will change against the Philadelphia Eagles.
#Vikings standout linebacker Blake Cashman is currently expected to be able to return to action and play this week vs. the #Eagles after missing the last four games due to a hamstring injury, sources tell @CBSSports.
Cashman led Minnesota with 112 tackles last season. pic.twitter.com/GaDRH9jonu
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 14, 2025
The Minnesota Vikings opened Cashman’s 21-day practice window on Monday. Theoretically he has multiple weeks in order to ready himself for game action. It doesn’t sound as though he’ll need that long.
“We have just seen since we got Blake, when he’s out there and we’re playing the type of defense we’re accustomed to seeing, Blake’s got a lot to do with it. Very, very excited to get him back.”
Kevin O’Connell – Star Tribune
“To be back on the grass with your brothers, you start to feel like yourself again. Something [hamstring injuries] I’m familiar with. It’s been a while, but it was really important to get with [the training staff] the first day and go over a plan for the past month to make sure my health is straight and the hammy is bulletproof, so I can go out there with 110 percent confidence.”
Blake Cashman – Star Tribune
As the Star Tribune’s Andrew Krammer highlighted, Cashman’s presence on defense is substantial. He led the Vikings in tackles last season with 112, and his 4.5 sacks were a career-high.
It remains to be seen how Brian Flores will shuffle his defense with Cashman back in the fold. Eric Wilson was the original backup, but he has played significantly better than Ivan Pace Jr. over the past few weeks. That will be something to watch as Cashman takes back over his workload.
MN Vikings still missing Andrew Van Ginkel
Andrew Van Ginkel posted the best season of his career last year with the Minnesota Vikings. This year he has missed multiple contests due to a nagging neck injury, and his return timeline is still murky at best.
Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel is “doing better,” O’Connell said, but still not practicing due to a neck injury. He has missed the past two games and has not practiced since the Sept. 21 victory over the Bengals, after which O’Connell said he was dealing with residual issues from an August neck issue. On Monday, Van Ginkel worked through physical rehab with a member of the team’s training staff on a separate field from where the team practiced.
“Then what I see is his workload hopefully picking up as we go,” O’Connell said. “Want to see how he does with some of that side field work. He’ll be a critical guy to get back in there when we can.”
Star Tribune
Van Ginkel has played in just two of the Vikings five games this season. He missed Week 2, and then was back in action against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. That contest was his last appearance though, and it has now been 23 days since he last played.
Minnesota opted against putting him on injured reserve, but that looks like it may have been the path to go at this point. If they do so now, he’ll miss at least another four games and the front seven will continue to be without one of their top edge rushers.
Van Ginkel sacked Jake Browning twice in Week 3. He put up a career-best 11.5 last season, and unless his availability quickly turns around, it will be tough to match that number. Dallas Turner has seen significant run in his absence.
Mentioned in this article: Andrew Van Ginkel Blake Cashman More About: Minnesota Vikings