Minnesota has had to overcome some injuries in the 2024 season ‒ first and foremost, of course, rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. During the season, the club also lost Christian Darrisaw for the remainder of the campaign because of the torn ACL suffered in the costly defeat against the Rams.
2 Vikings Return From Injury in Time for Atlanta Matchup
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore was ruled out on Friday. On Saturday, however, the franchise shared some good news with their fans, posting a video of rookie kicker Will Reichard, insinuating that he would be coming back from his stint on IR.
Just a few moments later, the organization confirmed the theory with a second tweet: “The Vikings have activated LS Andrew DePaola and K Will Reichard from IR. K Parker Romo has been waived and OLB Gabriel Murphy has been elevated to the active roster for tomorrow’s game.”
Reichard suffered a hamstring injury in the win against the Colts, resulting in his first two missed kicks of the season. The rookie had been flawless to that point. He has hit 14 of 16 field goals and all 23 extra points. One of his makes was a 58-yarder ‒ the second-longest in franchise history.
The injury landed him on IR, ruling him out for four contests. In his absence, the club re-signed the man who competed with Reichard for the kicking job. Parker Romo was ultimately waived during training camp, but he helped the Vikings clinch their last four games, doing a great job in his own right and surely putting himself on the radar for other franchises. Romo hit seven of eight extra points and 11 of 12 field goals.
In the win over the Jaguars, his four field goals were the team’s only 12 points. There should be some leaguewide interest in his services after he has cemented his folklorish legacy in the Twin Cities.
In addition to Reichard, the Vikes have also activated two-time Pro Bowl long snapper Andrew DePaola. He suffered a hand injury in the same game Reichard got hurt, also resulting in a four-week stint on IR.
The advantage of activating both at the same time is that neither has to build any chemistry with a new player. DePaola was replaced by veteran snapper Jake McQuaide, but the 2022 first-team All-Pro and 2023 second-team All-Pro will make his return against the Falcons. The alternate was released earlier in the week.
The kicking game used to be a massive problem in Minnesota (we will not name any specific kicks here), but for the first time in a while, fans have some comfort level in their kickers, and having two decent ones in the same season is unprecedented.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
#Vikings #Return #Injury #Time #Atlanta #Matchup
