Maybe a Week 1 return isn’t too ambitious after all.
Christian Darrisaw, a Vikings cornerstone player, is working back from a torn ACL from the Week 8 loss to the Rams. On Monday, head coach Kevin O’Connell had nothing but good things to say about his left tackle, praising the player for his work ethic while expressing optimism about the manner in which his body is recovering from the major injury. Per O’Connell, Darrisaw “has absolutely knocked it out of the park so far.”
Christian Darrisaw, A Vikings Cornerstone, Pushing for Week 1
Earlier in the offseason, O’Connell similarly passed along some Darrisaw optimism.
Consider the word from back at the NFL Scouting Combine: “He’s having a great offseason, the rehab process, he’s absolutely killing it every step of the way.” Roughly two months on from that proclamation, O’Connell is repeating some similar ideas.
Fast forward to the most recent press conference from O’Connell.
“He’s had a really, really good offseason up until this point,” the head coach said. “The latest update I got, he’s lifting, he’s running […] The player that I see right now and the player that I know his teammates came back to see today, people were pretty excited.”
O’Connell then commends his LT1 for the “professional focus” and having “such a good attitude.”
Christian Darrisaw is an imposing presence on the field, standing at 6’5″ and weighing 315 pounds. Partner the size with being quite nimble and having an easy power in his mitts that seems to stun a lot of pass rushers. Darrisaw, oftentimes, can make the game look effortless, a surefire sign that he’s put a lot of effort into his craft to be one of the game’s preeminent left tackles.
The wild thing is simply that Mr. Darrisaw still has so much potential. After all, we’re talking about a 25-year-old who still has yet to play an entire NFL season. What happens if the injuries become a thing of the past and he continues pushing his game even higher?
Last year, Christian Darrisaw got dinged with allowing 2 sacks, 1 QB hit, and 10 pressures. Most negative, perhaps, were the 5 penalties. Cleaning up some of those mistakes would mean that Darrisaw starts knocking on the door of elite. PFF gave him an 81.4 grade for his effort last season, good for 11th in the NFL.
The left tackle is working on a deal that runs through to the end of 2029. The cap charge in 2025 sits at a modest $9,681,765, but the number will soon soar past $20 million once the $104-million dollar extension cap charges start to hit the budget in earnest.
Provided he’s on the field and healthy, Christian Darrisaw seems very likely to earn every penny of that deal as one of the game’s best linemen and as a Vikings cornerstone player.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
