Foxed into Sunday Night Football, the Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts is an important one for the Minnesota Vikings. Losers of two straight, the purple and gold need to get back to their winning ways if they hope to remain competitive in a strong NFC North division.
The Vikings will need all available players on the field to get the best chance of a victory in prime time. That includes players returning from injury like tight end T.J. Hockenson and offensive guard Dalton Risner.
Vikings add notable player to offense before Week 9 vs. Colts
Last season, Dalton Risner started 15 games for the Minnesota Vikings at guard where he took 746 snaps on offense and 56 on special teams. So far this season, he has not suited up for a game but could see his first action of 2024 in Week 9.
On Saturday, the official X account of the Minnesota Vikings shared that Risner was activated from injured reserve and will enter the game against the Colts with no injury designation, making it possible that he could see action on Sunday night.
The #Vikings have activated G Dalton Risner from IR. He will enter #INDvsMIN with no game designation.
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 2, 2024
DL Taki Taimani has been plaed on IR and DL Jalen Redmond has been elevated to the active roster for tomorrow's game. pic.twitter.com/Hca783KAD5
The plan of what to do with Risner is unknown at this time. The Vikings currently have Blake Brandel starting at left guard and Ed Ingram at right guard, but the season-ending injury to Christian Darrisaw could cause a shuffle on the line.
Protecting quarterback Sam Darnold and creating running holes for Aaron Jones need to be a top priority for Minnesota's offense. For that reason, keeping a good blocker like Risner on the bench doesn't make a lot of sense.
The six-foot-five, 312-pound offensive lineman out of Kansas State was a second-round pick of the Broncos in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played four seasons with Denver before joining the Vikings as a free agent in 2023.
In other roster news, undrafted rookie free agent defensive lineman Taki Taimani was placed on injured reserve, and fellow defensive lineman Jalen Redmond has been elevated to the Vikings' 53-man roster from the practice squad.
Hopefully the additions of T.J. Hockenson and Dalton Risner can help the Minnesota Vikings get a win in Week 9 over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football. Their presence should help an already explosive unit make even more plays and keep drives alive to give the team more opportunities to put points on the scoreboard.