An inexplicable play call late in the first half of last season's Week 8 game against the Los Angeles Rams invited bad karma, and it came to fruition when Minnesota Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw went down with what was later revealed to be a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee.
The Vikings remodeled their interior offensive line this offseason, signing center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries in free agency before taking guard Donovan Jackson in the first round of the draft. A healthy Darrisaw pairs with Brian O'Neill to make one of the top offensive tackle duos in the league.
Throughout the offseason, Vikings' head coach Kevin O'Connell has been very optimistic about Darrisaw's recovery. At last check in April, when the team reconvened for the start of voluntary offseason work, O'Connell said Darrisaw had "absolutely knocked it out of the park so far " and was "really attacking" his rehab.
The Vikings, like most teams, are having their mandatory minicamp this week. It will be the last on-field work players will get in a team setting until training camp, but caution is still the word when it comes to any players who are dealing with any kind of injury recovery.
Injury update for left tackle Christian Darrisaw from Day 1 of Minnesota Vikings' minicamp is as good as it gets
The Vikings showed some players coming onto the practice field on Tuesday afternoon. And there was Darrisaw, No. 71.
CD!!!@chrisdarrisaw71 has returned to practice for individual drills. pic.twitter.com/6aEWWmi6lB
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 10, 2025
It's one thing to be captured walking toward the practice field, but actually doing anything of any substance out on the practice field would be the true test. Subsequent clips from Vikings' reporters on the ground at TCO Performance Center showed Darrisaw seemingly moving around pretty well.
As Vikings Entertainment Network posted, Christian Darrisaw was back on the field today at minicamp for the first time since tearing his ACL and MCL last fall. pic.twitter.com/22yAjvV4Pw
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) June 10, 2025
71 is here. pic.twitter.com/x1jueJNhWy
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) June 10, 2025
Vikings LT Christian Darrisaw back in action today. Went through all the early O-line drills and some work with TEs but wasn’t a participant in later portions of practice. pic.twitter.com/weUya3wcpt
— emily leiker (@emleiker) June 10, 2025
Darrisaw is about seven and a half months removed from his injury last October. What, if anything, he'll do on the practice field over the final two scheduled days of Vikings minicamp is a natural question.
But not having to stand on the sidelines observing practice with his helmet in his hand on Day 1 is undeniably a good thing, and a positive sign Darrisaw will be cleared for Week 1 as we near the weeks before training camp.
Having Christian Darrisaw participating in some aspects of practice for the Minnesota Vikings is a great sign that the key blocker is trending toward being ready for the 2025 NFL season.