It hasn’t been the season the Minnesota Vikings expected from their offensive line. The group was heavily invested in and has largely flopped. Not only has effectiveness been lacking, but health rarely was present either.
Kevin O’Connell got just two games of the full starting offensive line healthy and intact. There was just one in which the group finished the game together.
Advertisement
Those numbers won’t change the rest of the way with starting bookend left tackle Christian Darrisaw being placed on injured reserve.
Related Headlines
Christian Darrisaw’s season is over for Vikings
Last season Christian Darrisaw suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 8. He was expected to return this year, but the timeline never saw consistency, and now he’s done the rest of the way.
Earlier this week the MN Vikings left tackle refused to talk with reporters as the status of his knee issue had become a constant worry. It didn’t take long to see the frustration result in action.
This is a sensible move as the 6-8 Vikings have just three games remaining and nothing left to play for. It’s problematic that we are still dealing with this situation.
Advertisement
Darrisaw was not ready to go at the beginning of the year, and didn’t make his season debut until Week 3. He then later was inactive for Week 12, and was on the injury report countless of other times as well.
Since signing a four-year contract extension prior to the 2024 season, Darrisaw has now played in just 17 of the Vikings 34 total games. A true standout star, Darrisaw now must own the injury-plagued label he has clearly earned. Across his first three seasons in the league he had missed a least two games annually as well.
How the Minnesota Vikings rebuild next year remains to be seen. Darrisaw carries more than a $23 million cap hit in 2026, and nearly $44 million in dead cap value. He’ll be back, but he needs to be healthy.
Related Headlines