The depth and health of the Vikings' wide receiver room was already a concern heading into this week's joint practices against the Patriots. Justin Jefferson has missed three weeks with a hamstring injury, although he's expected to be ready for Week 1. Jordan Addison will be suspended for the first three games of the season. Rondale Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason opener.
And on Thursday, fourth-year wideout Jalen Nailor — who is set to begin the season as the Vikings' No. 2 receiver behind Jefferson — spent most of the afternoon on the sideline after jamming his left hand early in practice.
"Jalen Nailor kinda jammed his hand at one point," Kevin O'Connell said afterward. "We wanted to be smart with that. We'll evaluate him and see what that looks like."
KSTP's Darren Wolfson has "definite concern" about the left hand injury for Nailor, he tweeted. If evaluation reveals anything moderately significant there, it would be another blow to the Vikings' depth at the receiver position — and would unquestionably necessitate an addition from outside of the building.
In a world where Nailor can't play in Week 1, the Vikings' current wide receiver options beyond Jefferson would include Lucky Jackson, rookie Tai Felton, Tim Jones, Jeshaun Jones, Thayer Thomas, and some undrafted rookies. Suffice to say that the Chicago Bears would put a ton of defensive attention on Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson if that's the WR group the Vikings brought to Soldier Field on September 8 — and that's no disrespect to any of those players.
Even if Nailor's hand turns out to be fine, it's still a discussion worth having. Nailor hasn't exactly had a stellar training camp as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. He had a few drops last season and hasn't fully fixed that problem.
The good news is there should be plenty of options for GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah if the Vikings need to add a wide receiver. Beyond the current trade possibilities and free agents, roster cutdown day (August 26 this year) is always a good time to add players, whether via trade or waiver claim.
A trade for Vikings legend Adam Thielen, currently with the Panthers, is one idea we mentioned after Addison's suspension was officially announced. Amari Cooper and Gabe Davis are the biggest names among free agent receivers, but a reunion with someone like Brandon Powell could make a lot of sense. There are also players like Tyler Boyd, Jamison Crowder, Nelson Agholor, and Allen Robinson who are out there looking for a new team.
Keep an eye on Nailor's injury and the Vikings' WR room as a whole moving forward.