The Minnesota Vikings are having an inconsistent 2025 season, but this week, we can celebrate a rare win. They went to Detroit and claimed victory there for the first time after a long drought. The squad has gotten pretty healthy over the last few weeks.
Vikings’ Missing Piece Resurfaces
On Monday, head coach Kevin O’Connell addressed the local media and delivered more good news.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported on social media, “Vikings center Ryan Kelly, who is on IR after suffering two concussions this season, will begin working out on a side field this week, per Kevin O’Connell. Not necessarily opening his 21-day window to practice, but a first step.”
Kelly has not played since Week 4, when he left the game in Dublin against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a concussion. Unfortunately, that was already his second one of the season. He previously missed the game in Week 3 with a concussion suffered in the loss against the Atlanta Falcons.
A second concussion is always scary for a player and his future. The Vikings placed him on IR, forcing him to miss four games, but also allowing him to heal from his wounds. It was (and perhaps still is) a fair question whether he would ever step onto the gridiron again.
Kelly is 32 years old and was hired in March to become the Vikings’ new center, following in the footsteps of Garrett Bradbury.
On the field, Kelly is a massive upgrade, but given his age and injury history, it’s hardly surprising to see him miss some time in his Vikings debut season. His potential return in the near future is sweet, regardless, because he’s the one missing starter on the entire roster. It’s definitely rare to see a team halfway through the season come this close to its full strength.
That remark requires some notes, though. Running back Aaron Jones, who left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, isn’t expected to miss any time. Jeff Okudah, C.J. Ham, and Josh Oliver all missed that contest and might have to sit out another one. However, they are technically not starters. Theo Jackson landed in concussion protocol, but lost his starting job to Harrison Smith in the past two games. His status for Sunday’s meeting with the Baltimore Ravens is in question.
On Sunday, Pro Bowler Andrew Van Ginkel made his comeback after missing over a month with a neck injury he had been dealing with since training camp. In his first game action in weeks, Van Ginkel was fantastic, looking like his old, disruptive self. Linebacker Blake Cashman and runner Jones had returned from IR stints a couple of weeks earlier.
Of course, J.J. McCarthy was back on the turf versus the Detroit Lions. The sophomore claimed his second win in his third start. His play earned mostly praise across the NFL media landscape, though it wasn’t quite flawless.
He was certainly happy about having both offensive tackles protecting the edges, though. Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw form one of the league’s top tackle duos, while both guards, Donovan Jackson and Will Fries, were also available. The one missing piece remains Kelly. Blake Brandel has taken over in recent weeks.
Kelly’s veteran presence could help set the protections properly and take that off McCarthy’s plate. Brandel has been a solid replacement, but he’s not on Kelly’s level in terms of center experience and blocking skills.
His next step will be to complete some individual work, and then the Vikings will open his 21-day practice window at some point. Once that is done, Kelly can practice with the team, and the team can activate him at any point during that stretch.
There’s still a long way to go for the four-time Pro Bowler, but Monday’s update surely was encouraging.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
