The smile on the face of receiver Jordan Addison said it all.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) stretches out to catch a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the third quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. The Vikings edged the Packers, 27-25. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
After missing the win over the Chicago Bears, the loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and the win over the Cincinnati Bengals while serving his suspension, Addison is set to make his return on Sunday when the Vikings play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland.
“My first game back going overseas,” Addison said. “It don’t get no better than that.”
That level of excitement was shared by head coach Kevin O’Connell earlier this week as he prepared to put together a game plan that included Addison as a part of the offense for the first time this season.
“It’s phenomenal to get him back,” O’Connell said. “We’ve had to kind of weather the storm a little bit early on.”
The numbers help illustrate those struggles.
Nobody on the Vikings other than Justin Jefferson has more than 10 receptions and more than 100 receiving yards.
There hasn’t been much production from Adam Thielen or Jalen Nailor, and while tight end T.J. Hockenson might have found his stride, the playmakers for the Vikings need to do more to help whoever is throwing them the ball.
The production should increase across the board now that Jefferson and Addison are leading the charge.
“The way I look at it is with Jordan back we really have four starters at that receiver position,” O’Connell said. “We’ll use those guys accordingly and try to keep people fresh and make sure we’re maximizing the fact that we’ve got really good depth.”
The number of playmakers at his disposal is certainly something veteran quarterback Carson Wentz is looking forward to as he prepares to start under center.
“I get to see the juice that these guys bring with their ability to get in and out of cuts,” Wentz said. “It’s been impressive to see, and I’m excited to play point guard, so to speak, and distribute the ball to them.”
Though he wasn’t allowed to participate in practice or play in games, Addison was allowed to be around TCO Performance Center over the final couple of weeks of his suspension
“Just being isolated by myself I was in my thoughts a lot,” Addison said. “Just being able to come back in the building and chill with my teammates and crack jokes and laugh, it was a big part in the process of coming back.”
Not only did that help Addison stay connected with his teammates, even when he couldn’t be on the field with them, it also helped him stay involved in everything going on behind the scenes so he wasn’t lost when he got back.
“He has been able to be in the building and be in meetings to stay sharp mentally,” O’Connell said. “Now it’ll just be getting him a full week of work.”
The hope is that Addison can pick up right where he left off in the summer when he was routinely making plays.
“He had an unbelievable training camp,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “He looked like a man on a mission.”
It will be interesting to see how quickly Addison can get up to speed after missing so much time. Not that he seems too concerned. Asked if he feels like he can handle a full workload, Addison smiled and nodded his head.
“The strength staff did a good job preparing me,” Addison said. “I’m going to get right back in and get it going.”
Briefly
As he works his way back to 100 percent, quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday afternoon. Others that did not participate included defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (chest), left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist), edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) and tight end Ben Yurosek (knee).
Related Articles
Isaiah Rodgers named NFC Defensive Player of the Week
The Loop Fantasy Football Report Week 4: Time to panic over struggling standouts?
Mizutani: Jordan Mason can lead the Vikings, no matter who’s quarterback
Vikings rookie Donovan Jackson will miss time after having wrist surgery
Takeaways from the Vikings’ 48-10 win over the Bengals
Leave a Reply