Minnesota Vikings fans are still riding the high from the team's impressive comeback win this past Monday over the Chicago Bears. And who can blame them? It was a great way to kick off the Vikings' 2025 season.
Unfortunately, continuing that success through Week 2 was made a little more difficult for Minnesota on Thursday when the team announced that linebacker Blake Cashman and running back Ty Chandler have both been placed on injured reserve.
Cashman and Chandler both suffered their injuries in Monday's win over the Bears. Cashman exited the game with a hamstring injury, and Chandler ended up injuring his knee during the contest.
Minnesota Vikings place Blake Cashman and Ty Chandler on injured reserve
With the Vikings placing these two players on the team's injured reserve list, both will be sidelined for at least four games until they are eligible to be added back to Minnesota's active roster.
The Vikings also made a few corresponding moves on Thursday as a result of Cashman and Chandler landing on injured reserve.
To fill the pair of openings on its active roster, Minnesota signed wide receiver Tim Jones and tight end Nick Vannett from the team's practice squad, and then they signed cornerback Tyrek Funderburk and linebacker Sione Takitaki to the practice squad.
Takitaki has been in the NFL since 2019 when the Cleveland Browns drafted him with a third-round pick, and he's made 40 starts in his pro career. Funderburk spent his rookie campaign in 2024 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he appeared in 13 games.
Last season, the Vikings struggled when Cashman was out of the lineup. However, Minnesota invested more in its interior linebacker depth this offseas, and it's already paying off.
On Monday, Eric Wilson did a great job filling in for Cashman after he had to exit early. In Week 2, the Vikings will be depending a whole lot more on Wilson, and hopefully, he's up for the challenge.