Christian Darrisaw's Absence Exposed Clear Vikings Weakness in Week 1

The Minnesota Vikings had plenty of surprises in their 27-24 victory over the Chicago Bears on Monday night. But one of the biggest came when left tackle Christian Darrisaw was ruled out hours before kickoff.

Darrisaw is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered last October, but his absence was a bit of a shock. The former first-round pick had participated in individual drills toward the end of June’s minicamp, took part in most of the activities during training camp, and was listed as questionable for the game. But the Vikings decided to err on the side of caution and hold Darrisaw out for at least one more week.

In the end, the Vikings were able to overcome his absence. But it also alerted them to their offensive line depth, which may become a hidden weakness if they need to lean on it later this season.

Justin Skule’s Week 1 Performance Is a Red Flag Going Forward

Justin Skule drew the start while Darrisaw was on the sideline Monday night, and the drop off was about as severe as you could expect. According to Pro Football Focus, Skule allowed four pressures and two sacks on 31 pass-blocking snaps against the Bears and struggled in the ground game with a 50.1 run-blocking grade on 25 snaps.

A journeyman who has spent time with the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there’s a good chance Vikings fans won’t see Skule in the starting lineup again if Darrisaw returns in the Week 2 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. But it also creates an underlying concern if injuries strike again this season.

The Vikings put a lot of effort into reinforcing their offensive line this offseason, but it comes with some injury risk. Guard Will Fries was added on a five-year, $88 million contract in free agency but is one year removed from a fractured tibia that ended his 2024 season after five games. Center Ryan Kelly was also added to replace Garrett Bradbury, but he was limited to 10 games last season as he battled neck, calf, and knee injuries with the Indianapolis Colts.

While Donovan Jackson is healthy to begin his rookie year, there’s an even bigger concern at the tackle spots where Darrisaw is coming off a significant injury and Brian O’Neill will turn 30 on Sept. 15.

If any of those players succumb to their injury concerns, it could create a problem for the Vikings. Blake Brandel played well with Darrisaw beside him last season, posting an overall PFF grade of 63.7 over the first eight weeks, but his grade plummeted to 51.7 after Darrisaw’s injury. Offensive tackle Walter Rouse and Michael Jurgens are also 2024 draft picks that haven’t seen action during a regular-season game, and UDFA Joe Huber is another unknown despite an impressive preseason.

These concerns were ignored last season and left the Vikings scrambling to trade for Cam Robinson following Darrisaw’s injury. While the Vikings are equipped for a deadline deal with 10 2026 draft picks, it would be nice to use those to bolster the depth behind their starters.

This means the Vikings will have their fingers crossed that Darrisaw can stay healthy whenever he returns and the rest of the offensive line can follow suit as Minnesota gets deeper into the 2025 season.

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