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Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, back stateside after 10 days abroad, said Monday that he anticipates four players returning to practice from injury next week ahead of the Oct. 19 game against the Super Bowl champion Eagles.
Chief among them is quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who’s been out since after the Vikings’ 22-6 loss to the Falcons in Week 2 because of a high ankle sprain.
Also expected to return are left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist), linebacker Blake Cashman (hamstring) and center Michael Jurgens (hamstring).
Cashman is returning from injured reserve.
“Getting some positives here at the bye,” O’Connell said. “Comes at a big-time moment for us where we’ve obviously had some adversity from an injury standpoint. We’ll continue to work through that, but I like the way guys have stepped up and the way our team has battled throughout this first five weeks.”
The Vikings opted to keep McCarthy off injured reserve, which would have required him to miss the Eagles game due to the four-game minimum absence for short-term IR and kept him out of practice that entire span, too.
O’Connell said McCarthy will get “extensive work” during the bye week to help prepare him for his return to team practices. Wide receiver Jordan Addison told reporters postgame Sunday in London that he plans to work out with McCarthy during the break.
“J.J. got some work today, and he’ll get some work the rest of the week,” O’Connell said. “We’ll pick it up officially next week, but I’m encouraged about where he’s at right now.”
Though O’Connell said Sept. 30 that the Vikings might return McCarthy to individual drills while the team was in London, the 22-year-old ultimately sat out all three days of practice in the English countryside with practice space more cramped than at TCO Performance Center.
O’Connell said staff will put together a plan for McCarthy’s ramp up these next two weeks with the goal of consistent increase while monitoring his soreness coming out of each day.
“He’s had some real moments of growth through this time,” O’Connell said. “Watching Carson [Wentz], watching the way Carson’s kind of gone through progressions quickly, just the value of putting the ball in play, even when it’s not your first progression.”
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Chief among them is quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who’s been out since after the Vikings’ 22-6 loss to the Falcons in Week 2 because of a high ankle sprain.
Also expected to return are left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist), linebacker Blake Cashman (hamstring) and center Michael Jurgens (hamstring).
Cashman is returning from injured reserve.
“Getting some positives here at the bye,” O’Connell said. “Comes at a big-time moment for us where we’ve obviously had some adversity from an injury standpoint. We’ll continue to work through that, but I like the way guys have stepped up and the way our team has battled throughout this first five weeks.”
The Vikings opted to keep McCarthy off injured reserve, which would have required him to miss the Eagles game due to the four-game minimum absence for short-term IR and kept him out of practice that entire span, too.
O’Connell said McCarthy will get “extensive work” during the bye week to help prepare him for his return to team practices. Wide receiver Jordan Addison told reporters postgame Sunday in London that he plans to work out with McCarthy during the break.
“J.J. got some work today, and he’ll get some work the rest of the week,” O’Connell said. “We’ll pick it up officially next week, but I’m encouraged about where he’s at right now.”
Though O’Connell said Sept. 30 that the Vikings might return McCarthy to individual drills while the team was in London, the 22-year-old ultimately sat out all three days of practice in the English countryside with practice space more cramped than at TCO Performance Center.
O’Connell said staff will put together a plan for McCarthy’s ramp up these next two weeks with the goal of consistent increase while monitoring his soreness coming out of each day.
“He’s had some real moments of growth through this time,” O’Connell said. “Watching Carson [Wentz], watching the way Carson’s kind of gone through progressions quickly, just the value of putting the ball in play, even when it’s not your first progression.”
STRIB
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