Former Alabama All-American Ryan Kelly will be back at center for Minnesota when the Vikings play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Minnesota restored Kelly to its active roster from injured reserve on Saturday. Kelly had been on IR since Oct. 4 after his second concussion in a three-game span knocked him out of the lineup.
“A lot of soul searching, getting as many answers as I could,” Kelly told the Minnesota Star Tribune about his concerns. “And then I realized I’m not done. I still love this game.”
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Kelly entered the NFL as the 18th pick in the 2016 draft after winning the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center for Alabama’s 2015 CFP national-championship team. He spent nine seasons and earned Pro Bowl recognition four times with the Indianapolis Colts before leaving for Minnesota.
Kelly joined the Vikings as a free agent in March for a two-year, $18 million contract.
After Kelly handled every snap for Minnesota in a season-opening 27-24 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sept. 8, he went into the NFL’s concussion protocol in the first half of a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 14.
Kelly missed the Vikings’ 48-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 21. Back in the lineup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 28, Kelly couldn’t come out for the second half of a 24-21 loss.
Kelly returned to practice on Nov. 12. After working on a limited basis last week, Kelly came back as a full practice participant this week.
“Ryan Kelly loves playing football,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “He’s been really darn good at it for a long time and is itching to get back out there.”
Kelly comes back from a six-game absence with seven games remaining on Minnesota’s schedule.
The 4-6 Vikings and the 6-3-1 Packers square off at noon CST Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in an NFC North game.
Kelly will become the 24th Alabama alumnus with 125 NFL regular-season starts and the 41st to play in 125 NFL regular-season games on Sunday. Kelly has never played in an NFL game as a reserve.
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