The Vikings’ offense took a massive hit on Thursday night with Christian Darrisaw leaving the game late in the first half of their Week 8 matchup with the Rams with a knee injury.
On Friday, an MRI confirmed the worst: Darrisaw will require season-ending surgery, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Darrisaw has developed into one of the league’s best left tackles since being drafted by the Vikings with the 23rd overall pick in the 2021 draft. He allowed just 10 pressures and two sacks in 392 snaps this year, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). His pass protection and run blocking have been crucial to the Vikings’ 5-2 start this year, pairing with Bryan O’Neill to form one of the best tackle duos in the NFL.
Now, Minnesota will have to turn to another option at left tackle with veteran David Quessenberry and rookie Walter Rouse on the roster. Rouse is listed as Darrisaw’s backup on the Vikings’ depth chart, but Quessenberry took over at left tackle on Thursday night, indicating that he will be the team’s starter moving forward. That will move Rouse into a swing tackle job backing up both Quessenberry and O’Neill. Practice squad offensive tackle Marcellus Johnson could be in line for game day elevations for depth, or even a promotion to the active roster once the Vikings move Darrisaw onto injured reserve.
Quessenberry made a few spot starts at left tackle in Minnesota last year, so head coach Kevin O’Connell might be comfortable with playing the veteran for the rest of the season. A quality tackle is unlikely to be available on the trade market, but general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could scour the free agent ranks for an available veteran like D.J. Humphries, who recently visited the Giants. The Vikings are also plenty familiar with former division rival David Bakhtiari, who has not officially retired after being released by the Packers, but he would need to address concerns about his health before a signing.
Darrisaw signed a four-year, $104MM extension with the Vikings in July, getting $43.73MM fully guaranteed and additional rolling guarantees as the contract progresses. While he will certainly be aiming to recover from his knee surgery and play out the rest of his contract, Darrisaw serves as a powerful example of the importance of players seeking guaranteed money in their contracts to secure their financial futures.
Vikings are going to have some struggles without him. Time to make some phone calls.