By and large, I consider myself an optimist. I try to see even the faintest glimmer of hope amidst whatever doom and gloom spirals around me. Despite my time following the Minnesota Vikings repeatedly proving it unwise, I choose unbridled, irrational positivity over pessimism. Sports are more fun with the confidence of a 10 year old who hasn’t had the world beat him down yet!
That is, until the injury bug gets passed around. Then suddenly I go from fearless 10 year old to an over-protective, midwestern helicopter mom.
The Vikings seem very confident that their injury situations to several pillars of the offense will resolve themselves in a way that should have them close to full force by Week 1. They seem to be playing it safe, but are cautiously optimistic that Justin Jefferson’s hamstring will not lead to significant time missed. T.J. Hockenson had missed time with an undisclosed injury, but returned to practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday. Then there are the rehabbing hog mollies up front, Christian Darrisaw and Will Fries, both of whom have have been mixing in and ramping up toward the season. Frankly, the fact that Darrisaw especially is already in drills is a bit of a medical marvel.
There’s also the Jordan Addison suspension as a result of his “wet reckless” escapades, with his legal matters being settled and a customary three-game suspension from the league office.
If Jefferson comes back full speed, Hockenson ramps up without complications, and we can see Darrisaw and Fries escalate things to a full go, that’s a massive boon for Minnesota in Week 1 as they head into the muck at Soldier Field. And while the optimist in me would love to focus on that, the helicopter mom in me is still going to be an anxiety-riddled mess until everyone is a full 100%.
So my question today is, let’s say something does go wrong. Let’s say pessimism proves correct. If the Vikings have to head into Monday Night Football down any of their starters (along with Jordan Addison) out for one reason or another, just how screwed are they?
The obvious concern off the bat is Justin Jefferson. He’s the franchise player, the best in football at what he does, and an integral part of the development of his new young quarterback. Their depth is also strained further by the Addison suspension, meaning any setback for Jefferson would mean Jalen Nailor being McCarthy’s WR1 in his debut regular-season game, in prime time no less. That feels like a recipe for disaster.
The Vikings have had a few interesting names flash this camp, particularly Lucky Jackson, who has gotten the Vikings beat a bit excited. Rondale Moore seems like an interesting run-after-catch threat, and the front office thought highly enough of Tai Felton to take him in the third round. There are bodies to throw at the problem. And, assuming Hockenson’s injury was just a blip on the radar, he’ll be an excellent safety blanket for McCarthy as well.
If they somehow entered that game sans Jefferson and Addison though, and McCarthy’s counting on the Feltons of the world to come down with the ball, that’s a brutal way for a young QB to make his debut.
Arguably just as important is the pocket in front of McCarthy, which looks quite different without Fries or Darrisaw. Justin Skule has been the primary backup at left tackle, rotating in Darrisaw’s place when necessary. The Vikings’ depth chart lists Henry Byrd as the second-team RG, but I’d have to imagine that Blake Brandel would flip over to right in that situation. Neither of those guys have me puffing my chest out with confidence, but they’re at least somewhat known commodities with starting experience.
What we do know about said commodities is that they’re mostly mediocre at football, but at the very least this coaching staff knows what to expect and can scheme around any deficiencies in their game. Contrast that with the receiver situation, and it’s a big difference. They have no idea what to expect from Felton or Jackson in a big moment.
It’s also worth mentioning the turnover at tight end if Hockenson should have any further complications. Josh Oliver has proven serviceable as a replacement to Hockenson last season, but is much more suited to being a TE2. Then there’s Giovanni Ricci, Ben Yurosek, and Bryson Nesbit; all of which kinda feel like auto generated Madden names. Ricci has apparently shown enough to get a few first-team reps, but I dare you to score the Vikings Twitterverse for a single clip of any of those guys making a big play.
Jefferson, Darrisaw, Fries, and Hockenson are all essential to McCarthy’s success on September 8 in Chicago. But if there’s anything I learned from this exercise it’s that, while I feel quite confident in our starting 11 guys, I’m holding my breath if any of our depth pieces are making the leap. This is a lethal, fragile, glass cannon of an offensive roster they have constructed.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that things continue to progress positively, and without any unnecessary intervention from the medical staff at TCO. Because with all the offseason narratives and pressure placed on McCarthy’s shoulders, I want nothing more than for him to have the optimal setup for success when he walks out in Chicago.