Season Over For Matt Kalil?
The Vikings announced that left tackle Matt Kalil underwent successful surgery Friday to repair a labrum tear in his right hip. Head coach Mike Zimmer said Kalil, whom the Vikings placed on injured reserve Wednesday, could return after missing the requisite eight weeks, though Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press notes that running back Adrian Peterson‘s situation complicates matters (Twitter links).
Peterson underwent surgery on a meniscus tear Thursday, and if the Vikings put him on IR, only one of him or Kalil would be eligible to come back this year. Minnesota could avoid having to choose between them, however, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports that Kalil’s season is over. He’s facing a six-month recovery, sources told Pelissero (Twitter link).
If Kalil’s season is done, it’s possible the soon-to-be free agent has played his last snap as a Viking. Since going fourth overall in the 2012 draft, Kalil has started in all 66 regular-season appearances, making this the first year he won’t achieve a perfect attendance record. Despite his durability, Kalil hasn’t been an overly effective blocker since earning a Pro Bowl trip as a rookie. The ex-USC standout allowed the second-most pressures among tackles in 2014 and finished 18th from the bottom last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Regardless of whether Kalil returns this year, Minnesota will at least have to play a large portion of it without him. The club is now primed to turn to T.J. Clemmings at left tackle. As a rookie last season, Clemmings started 16 games at right tackle.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Knee Surgery For Vikings DT Sharrif Floyd
FRIDAY: Floyd underwent a successful right knee arthroscopy on Thursday, the team announced. He’ll miss roughly six weeks, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).
THURSDAY: Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd is having a procedure done on his injured knee, according to coach Mike Zimmer (via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press on Twitter). Specifics of the procedure are not yet known, but it’s not a good sign after Floyd was pulled from Minnesota’s season opener with knee trouble. 
[RELATED: Latest On Adrian Peterson]
Floyd, 25, was a first-round pick in the 2013 draft. At the NFL level, he has appeared in 44 games with 24 starts, missing two games in 2014 and three games in 2015. Of course, the Vikings are already banged up and they can’t afford to lose another player of note. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is done for the year after a freaky leg injury and Adrian Peterson‘s season might be over after suffering a torn meniscus.
If Floyd has to miss time, the Vikings will continue to use Shamar Stephen as a starter on the interior line. They may look out of house for support as Tom Johnson is the last defensive tackle on the bench behind Stephen and Linval Joseph.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Vikings Notes: Peterson, Coleman, Zimmer
After Vikings running back Adrian Peterson underwent surgery on his meniscus today, initial reports indicated that he’d miss a minimum of three-to-four months, with the possibility looming that he could be sidelined for as many as six months. Two surgeons (who, it should be noted, did not operate on Peterson), confirmed that general timeline to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, who writes that Peterson is unlikely to return before December, if at all.
Had Peterson opted to have the injured portion of his meniscus removed rather than repaired, he could have returned to the field in weeks, not months, according to one of the surgeons. But doing so could have presented problems for Peterson later in his career and during his post-football life, as such a procedure can lead to arthritis in the knee.
- Peterson’s 2016 season may be over prematurely, and his career with the Vikings could be coming to a close as well, opines Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Even setting aside his injury, Peterson never looked like a great bet to return to Minnesota in 2017 barring some sort of contract adjustment, as he’s set to count for an untenable $18MM on next year’s cap. All of that total can be cleared out by releasing him, and given that Peterson isn’t a perfect fit for offensive coordinator Norv Turner‘s scheme, it seems logical that he’ll be playing for a new club next season.
- Head coach Mike Zimmer admitted that the Vikings made a “mistake” when they released safety Kurt Coleman prior to the 2014 season, as Tomasson writes in a separate piece. Coleman signed a one-year deal with Minnesota during Zimmer’s first year as coach, but the veteran defensive back never played a down for the club. In the years since, he’s blossomed into an excellent player with the Panthers, and recently inked a three-year extension. For his part, Coleman says he has “no hard feelings” about the decision, as Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer writes.
- Peterson isn’t the only Viking on the mend, as we learned earlier today that defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd is also undergoing a knee operation. Specifics of the surgery aren’t yet known, but it’s not a great sign for Floyd, who is signed through 2017 thanks to his fifth-year option.
- In case you missed it, the Vikings yesterday placed left tackle Matt Kalil on injured reserve and signed former Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman.
Latest On Injured Adrian Peterson
THURSDAY, 9:32am: The Vikings announced “there were no additional injuries or issues noted in or surrounding the knee joint,” during Peterson’s surgical procedure.
WEDNESDAY, 4:44pm: Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is set for surgery to repair the torn meniscus he suffered in the Vikings’ 17-14 win over the Packers on Sunday, and there’s now question as to whether the 31-year-old also has a torn LCL. Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington of ESPN report that he does (via Twitter), while both Vikings officials and Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press have shot down that notion (Twitter links). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Peterson has a mild LCL sprain, one that won’t require surgery.
There’s already a chance Peterson’s meniscus issue will keep him out for the rest of the season, so an LCL tear would make a comeback all the more difficult. If Schefter and Darlington are wrong, it seems Peterson and the Vikings have dodged a potentially significant problem.
For however long Peterson is out, the Vikings will turn to Jerick McKinnon, Matt Asiata and the newly signed Ronnie Hillman at running back. Their track records pale in comparison to Peterson’s, of course, but he didn’t resemble his seven-time Pro Bowl self during the Vikings’ first two games. Peterson racked up 31 carries and amassed just 50 yards, good for an average of 1.6 per tote.
Despite Peterson’s lack of production and having to use two starting quarterbacks in as many games, defending NFC North champion Minnesota has begun 2016 with back-to-back victories. The team will head to Carolina this week to face the reigning NFC champion Panthers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Vikings Sign Hillman; Kalil To IR
The Vikings announced that they have signed running back Ronnie Hillman in the wake of Adrian Peterson‘s potentially season-ending injury. Meanwhile, starting tackle Matt Kalil will have season-ending hip surgery and will be placed on IR. 
While Hillman will join Minnesota’s running back group, he will not be the primary back. Coach Mike Zimmer confirmed that Jerick McKinnon will be the team’s starting running back while Peterson is out. Matt Asiata also figures to be in the mix and Hillman, for now, figures to be the No. 3 RB on that depth chart.
Hillman, a 2012 third-round pick, was cut loose by Denver in early September. The move somewhat surprising after he led Denver in offensive snaps (524) during the 2015 regular season. He also led the team’s rushers in starts (11), attempts (207), yards (863) and touchdowns (seven). However, Hillman wasn’t exactly integral during the Broncos’ Super Bowl-winning playoff run and he was bumped this year in favor of Devontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs.
Peterson’s injury will garner all of the headlines today, but Kalil’s injury is also a difficult one for the Vikings. Minnesota’s offensive line was already underperforming and it will only get worse without the former No. 4 overall selection. The injury is also bad news for Kalil on a personal level as he is in his contract year. After a strong rookie season, Kalil has not impressed and he was hoping to improve his stock before hitting the open market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Adrian Peterson Potentially Done For Season?
Adrian Peterson will go under the knife on Thursday to fix the tear in his meniscus, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The running back has what is known as a “bucket handle tear,” which means that he will require a more aggressive surgery option than initially planned. Anderson hears that means he’ll be out for a minimum of three-to-four months and as long as six months. 
[RELATED: Vikings Sign Ronnie Hillman, LT Matt Kalil Done For Season]
Peterson’s injury is devastating news for the Vikings, particularly after they went all-in by trading for Sam Bradford in the wake of Teddy Bridgewater‘s season-ending injury. With Peterson out, the Vikings will turn to Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata in the backfield. McKinnon has shown flashes of freaky athleticism, but he is not the most advanced blocker or pass catcher out there. It’s possible that the Vikings could look out-of-house for RB options, but they should have a well-balanced attack between McKinnon and Asiata.
Peterson, 31, missed the majority of the 2014 season but bounced back last year to run for 1,485 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also added 30 receptions for 222 yards.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Adrian Peterson Has Torn Meniscus
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has a torn meniscus in his right knee, coach Mike Zimmer said in a radio interview (link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press). It’s not immediately clear how long Peterson could be sidelined for and Zimmer did not rule out that Peterson might be able to play on Sunday against the Panthers.
Peterson went down in the third quarter of Sunday’s 17-14 win over the rival Packers. The Vikings managed to win in their real U.S. Bank Stadium debut, but it was a bittersweet W after Peterson went down.
As Tomasson notes, a torn meniscus is not necessarily a season-ender. Chris Johnson claims to have played much of the 2013 season with a torn meniscus and he ran for 1,077 yards that season. Of course, after Peterson struggled through the first two games of the 2016 season, it’s fair to wonder how productive the 2012 MVP can be if he plays through the injury.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Vikings To Start Sam Bradford In Week 2
The Vikings intend to begin the Sam Bradford era on Sunday night, with the team set to displace Shaun Hill in the starting lineup and plug in the trade acquisition against the Packers, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com reports. A league source informed Goessling Bradford took each of the first-team snaps in practice this week.
Hill guided the Vikings to a victory against the Titans but did not produce an offensive touchdown in Minnesota’s 25-16 road win. Bradford’s potential inability to make pre-snap adjustments after such a short time with the team played into Hill receiving the Week 1 nod, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.
- Former Vikings scouting director Scott Studwell, who remains with the team in a different capacity after stepping down from that role two years ago, said the team was able to acquire middle linebacker Eric Kendricks in the second round last year due to the second-year player’s smaller stature. “Kendricks went in the second round because he’s 6-foot,” Studwell said, via Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “In a perfect world, you might want a ‘Mike’ a bit bigger with Eric, but with his instincts for the ball, we’re not complaining. He’s a playmaker.”
PFR’s Impact Rookies Series
All summer long, longtime scouting consultant Dave-Te Thomas of The NFL Draft Report has been breaking down the draft class of every team in the league and identifying the players that can immediately make a difference. The Impact Rookies series, which wrapped up today with a look at the Seahawks, provides unique insight to this year’s NFL freshman class from a veteran guru who worked closely with several teams around the league leading up to the draft.
Here is the full rundown of the Impact Rookies series:
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
Details On Joe Berger's Deal
- Vikings center Joe Berger gets a $915K signing bonus and $250K roster bonus with his $1MM base salary in 2017 on his new deal, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com tweets. Berger will carry numbers of $1.61M and $1.88M in each of the next two seasons (link). Berger’s deal includes $900K in NLTBE (not likely to be earned) incentives in 2017 and he could make up to $2.2MM next year.