The Minnesota Vikings guard will head for a second opinion after suffering a neck and back injury prior to Saturday night’s practice.
The Minnesota Vikings offensive line has gotten off to a tough start during the first two weeks of training camp. With injuries beginning to spread like wildfire, the unit enters this week banged up with their first preseason game against the Denver Broncos coming up on Saturday.
While many have carried the mantra of “it’s still early,” there aren’t many glowing reports coming out on the recovery process.
Center Pat Elflein continues to work on the side as he tries to get off the physically unable to perform list while right guard Mike Remmers is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered last week.
Things got worse when left guard Nick Easton sat out Saturday night’s scrimmage. Initial thoughts were it was just a precaution early in training camp. As the Vikings hit the practice field on Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin painted a more ominous picture.
Vikings left guard Nick Easton will seek a second opinion this week for neck and back injuries, a source tells ESPN. Easton missed Saturday's practice and is being held out today along with starters Pat Elflein and Mike Remmers. Third-string center Cornelius Edison is working...
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 6, 2018
Second opinions are seldom a good thing as the decision to get one usually stems from some initial bad news.
Also, neck and back injuries are rarely something that goes away quickly. Should Easton miss extended time, the Vikings would likely turn to second year guard Danny Isidora or free-agent signee Tom Compton to take his place.
Minnesota Vikings
Once Monday’s practice concluded, Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer went on the radio with KFAN’s Dan Barreiro and among the topics were the status of the offensive line. In the interview, Zimmer expressed his confidence that eventually things would get sorted out.
"“The one thing about the offensive line, typically, is that there’s some good ones and there’s a bunch of other guys because it takes so long to adjust to the NFL game once they get out of college and so forth. But with the offensive line, it’s never like, ‘I’m going one-on-one with you.’ It’s always five-on-four usually and then the extra rusher, whomever that is. So, if they work together, they can be very successful and I think that’s what we did a year ago. Of course, once we get these guys back, obviously, it’s going to help.”"
Working together as a unit may be a key to the Vikings’ offensive line this season. But in order for that to happen, the unit needs to achieve full health.
If Easton’s second opinion isn’t a positive one, that will throw another wrench into the Minnesota’s plans for 2018.