Vikings' offensive line injury situation takes a rough (but unsurprising) turn

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The Minnesota Vikings' offensive line resembles a M.A.S.H. unit heading into Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns in London, with the projected starting five looking like this.

LT-Christian Darrisaw
LG-Joe Huber
C-Blake Brandel
RG-Will Fries
RT-Justin Skule

With Ryan Kelly suffering his second concussion of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4, and No. 2 center Michael Jurgens (hamstring) out, Brandel will be playing center in a game for the first time in his football career. Huber is an undrafted rookie who will be playing his first regular-season snaps. Skule is moving to right tackle in place of Brian O'Neill (sprained MCL) after a rough turn replacing Darrisaw at left tackle earlier in the season.

Of all the injury concerns along the Vikings' offensive line, Kelly stood out in a unique way coming out of the Steelers' game. He also suffered a concussion in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, and he missed Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He has suffered two concussions in a three-game span, and he has five documented concussions in his NFL career. Four of those documented head injuries have come since the 2023 season, when he played for the Indianapolis Colts.

The Minnesota Vikings make a move that felt inevitable with center Ryan Kelly

Kelly did not practice at all this week, and he was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Browns. The question shifted easily, and right away after the second head injury, to whether he'd be available after the bye week. On Saturday, we got the answer.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Vikings have placed Kelly on IR.

Among a list of roster moves announced on Saturday, the Vikings made Kelly's placement on IR official. Notable among the other moves regarding the offensive line, Vershon Lee has been signed to the 53-man roster, and he'll serve as the backup center to Brandel on Sunday.

At minimum, Kelly will miss Sunday's game against Cleveland, then Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Week 9 against the Detroit Lions. He'll be eligible to return in Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens (Nov. 9), but that has to be considered very tentative right now.

The bye week comes at a good time for the Vikings to get some offensive linemen healthy. But it won't be a factor regarding when Kelly will return, and how the Vikings might go about bracing for longer than a four-game absence now becomes an intriguing topic.

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