Time to worry about Linval Joseph’s absence from the Vikings?

The veteran Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle still hasn’t been cleared to fully participate in the team’s training camp practices as he recovers from offseason surgery.

Prior to signing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2014, Linval Joseph was a member of the New York Giants’ starting defense. Joseph played well for the Giants, but his game has definitely elevated to the next level since he joined the Vikings.

Entering his sixth season with Minnesota, the 30-year-old defensive tackle is at the point in his NFL career where he likely only has a few productive seasons left in him. 2019 could even be Joseph’s last year in a Vikings uniform depending on how he performs.

Unfortunately for the veteran defensive lineman, he hasn’t been able to be a full participant in any of Minnesota’s training camp practices this year. Instead, Joseph has been seen on the side of the practice field doing rehab work as he continues to recover from offseason surgery.

What exactly he had repaired this year hasn’t been confirmed. But judging by a picture from February, it appears as though Joseph had some work done on his shoulder.

This would make sense considering the defensive tackle sat out a game last season due in part to a shoulder injury.

For the type of position he plays out on the field, recovering from shoulder surgery could have a big impact on how Joseph performs this season. It’s possible that he could have lost some of his strength this year because of his procedure preventing him from lifting weights with his upper body.

We saw this become a problem for Vikings offensive lineman Pat Elflein last season after he underwent surgery on his shoulder during the 2018 offseason. Elflein was unable to make any improvements his upper body strength because of his recovery from surgery and it resulted in him being overpowered by opposing defenders more often than not during his second year with Minnesota.

Now, Joseph has been in the NFL for a lot longer than Elflein. So the talented defensive tackle has had plenty of time to build up his strength over the years.

Still, one has to believe that it may take a few games before Joseph can play like his normal, ferocious self in 2019. Hopefully, for the Vikings sake, something like this doesn’t end up having a big impact on their chance for success this season.