The Minnesota Vikings can't seem to escape injury concerns on the offensive side of the ball, and in Week 4, it hit the left side of the offensive line. We already know left guard Donovan Jackson has suffered a season-ending torn meniscus in his left knee, with the remaining question about left tackle Christian Darrisaw, as he entered concussion protocol.
The trickiness of concussions aside, any time Darrisaw lands on the injury report, there's a heightened level of concern going beyond the difficulty of replacing a high-end left tackle.
The management of the end of his recovery from a torn ACL and MCL in 2024 during last season was questionable, to say the least, and it eventually led to him being shut down for the season.
On Tuesday, Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show," and at one point, part of the conversation about player health centered around wide receiver Justin Jefferson ahead of a game in his home state against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5, but O'Connell also dropped a hint about Darrisaw.
"Obviously, as a whole offensively, we need to get healthy. We should be getting Jordan Mason back after the bye, you know, Christian Darrisaw, some other players."
Kevin O'Connell has essentially confirmed Christian Darrisaw will miss Week 5
Mason returning from a broken thumb after the Week 6 bye and missing the minimum four games on injured reserve has always been the expected timeline. So it's good to hear O'Connell all but confirm that on Tuesday.
Without directly saying so, O'Connell strongly hinted that Darrisaw will be out against the Saints in Week 5.
While that has been easy to expect since he left last Sunday's game a second time, and based solely on him being in concussion protocol, the Vikings will be down the entire starting left side of their offensive line for at least one game, and adjustments will have to be made.
Even if Darrisaw moves through concussion protocol as seamlessly as quarterback Kyler Murray apparently did, the Vikings should be inclined to hold him out in Week 5 just as they did Murray in Week 2.
The bye week following Sunday's game against the Saints makes it make even more sense to hold Darrisaw out. While the injuries are not the same, one missed game doesn't have to snowball into more missed games like his knee situation did last season.
So, barring something unforeseen, get ready for Ryan Van Demark as the Vikings' starting left tackle against the Saints in Darrisaw's place.
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