The biggest headline to come out of training camp for the Vikings this week is the fact that left tackle Christian Darrisaw has started to participate in 11-on-11 drills.
Though it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Darrisaw will be ready to suit up for the Vikings in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, it’s certainly a step in the right direction as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament.
“It’s gone really well,” Darrisaw said. “I’ve been able to get back in the flow of things.”
Has his body responded the way he hoped?
“It’s crazy because it has,” Darrisaw said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty not really knowing what to expect after a day on the field.”
The process of trusting his knee to hold up once he was cleared to be back in the trenches was more trial by fire. Let’s just say Darrisaw didn’t have time to think about his knee with edge rusher Jonathan Greenard lining up across from him.
“You can’t have no hesitation,” Darrisaw said. “I talked to a few guys who have dealt with surgeries. They told me that I just had to trust it when I got out there. I trust it.”
Here are more takeaways from Day 8 of training camp:
How does J.J. McCarthy look?
It was a solid performance from starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy throughout a very long practice. He had a number of very good throws in 1-on-1 drills, continued the momentum in 7-on-7 drills, and dropped a dime to receiver Jordan Addison in 11-on-11 drills.
There was also growth from McCarthy during the situational period at the end of practice. He walked onto the field with 1 minute, 15 seconds left on the clock, trailing 27-21, and thus, needing a touchdown.
There was a lot to like from McCarthy on the drive as he made a number of good decisions that resulted in positive yardage. After narrowly missing on a shot to receiver Jalen Nailor in the end zone, McCarthy got sacked on a play where he probably wished he could’ve gotten rid of the ball.
Though the offense didn’t score a touchdown, McCarthy’s growth was on display, which is a good thing for the Vikings.
Who else stood out?
It wouldn’t be training camp without safety Theo Jackson recording an interception. He actually had a pair of interceptions in practice as he continued to showcase the ball hawking skills that has allowed him to grow into a role on defense.
On the other end, there were some rough stretches for backup quarterback Sam Howell, and he seemed to get replaced by reserve quarterback Brett Rypien for a portion of practice. It’s certainly worth keeping an eye on that situation as Howell has struggled at times throughout training camp.
The best quote of the day
“I know I speak for all of our fans and every member of our organization saying congratulations to him. It’s a big deal. I wanted make sure we show our support here. He knows how much he means to us.”
— head coach Kevin O’Connell on legendary defensive end Jared Allen being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The injury report
The most notable thing was receiver Justin Jefferson did some work on the side field for the first time since suffering a mild hamstring strain last week. He’s clearly progressing and the hope for the Vikings is to get him back in action at some point during training camp.
What’s coming up next?
There will be a set of fairly intense practices this weekend followed by the annual night practice on Monday night at TCO Performance Center.
Related Articles
How the viral Labubu trend made its way to the Vikings
Vikings legend Jared Allen earned respect of ‘Williams Wall’ on path to Hall of Fame
What has J.J. McCarthy learned so far in Vikings training camp?
Takeaways from Day 7 of Vikings training camp
Takeaways from Day 6 of Vikings training camp
Leave a Reply