Optimism surrounding Vikings LB Anthony Barr has quickly disappeared

After being a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr was the only player to not take part in the team’s practice session on Thursday.

Heading into their regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the majority of the top players on the Minnesota Vikings roster are expected to be out on the field.

Obviously, the Vikings will be without tight end Irv Smith Jr. as he continues to recover from surgery on his meniscus. But Minnesota might also have to go up against the Bengals without the help of linebacker Anthony Barr.

Barr was able to be a limited participant in the Vikings’ practice on Wednesday and it sounded like the team was feeling good about his chances of playing on Sunday. On Thursday, however, those chances seemed to experience a drastic decrease.

Week 1 status for Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr is still up in the air

After taking part in Wednesday’s practice, things seemed to be trending in the right direction for Barr to play on Sunday in Cincinnati.

But on Thursday, the veteran linebacker was not a participant in Minnesota’s practice. In fact, he was the only player to not take part in the Vikings practice.

Apparently, Barr might have done a little too much work on Wednesday. On Thursday, Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer said the linebacker sat out practice because he was sore from what he did out on the field during the previous day.

First off, if Barr is getting sore from being a limited participant in practice, that definitely isn’t good. Second, it might just be best for the Vikings to prepare for the linebacker to not be on the field against the Bengals on Sunday.

It’s the first game of the season, Minnesota still has 16 more matchups left on their schedule. Putting Barr on the field and running the risk of possibly worsening his injury just doesn’t seem necessary at this point in the season.