Vikings starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw said his left knee feels “great” this spring after he had a second straight season cut short because of the effects of a 2024 injury.
“Best it’s felt in two years,” Darrisaw told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Thursday. “I’m trending in the right direction. Full motion, everything feels great.”
Darrisaw, who’s entering his sixth season with the Vikings after being drafted in the first round in 2021, wore a leg sleeve but no knee brace during Thursday’s organized team activities practice. He participated in everything from O-line drills to 7-on-7 work.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said the team had planned on Darrisaw being available in this part of the NFL calendar and that he’s been participating “pretty much in totality.”
Darrisaw was moved to injured reserve in Week 16 last season after struggling to be consistently available for games despite there being no tangible setback in his recovery. He tore multiple ligaments in his knee in an October 2024 game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Though Darrisaw started all 10 games he appeared in last season, he played fewer than 50 snaps in four of those games and a career-low eight against the Chargers, a game the Vikings lost 27-20 in Los Angeles.
“Christian’s had a great spring,” O’Connell said. “We’re being smart with him, but at the same time we’re making sure that he’s part of this collective O-line group elevation that’s happening. That group has a high standard for themselves. Christian has a very high standard for himself. That’s one of the reasons why we’re so excited to have him back and feeling healthy and feeling good. Now we just need to continue to progress that way in a way that allows him to feel great starting the season.”
Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill again did not suit up for practice, standing near O-line drills in shorts and a T-shirt. O’Neill is in a contract year; he also endured a few injuries last fall, including a heel injury late in the season.
The Vikings, who return four out of the five original starters from their 2025 O-line in Darrisaw, O’Neill, left guard Donovan Jackson and right guard Will Fries, also added to the group’s depth this year.
They acquired restricted free agent tackle Ryan Van Demark from the Buffalo Bills, then added tackle Caleb Tiernan and center Gavin Gerhardt in the third and seventh rounds of the NFL draft, respectively.
At the NFL’s annual meetings, O’Connell said the Vikings plan to move forward with Blake Brandel at center after Ryan Kelly’s retirement in March. But the Vikings also have 2024 seventh-round pick Michael Jurgens as an option.
“What [Brandel’s] offseason looks like, what his training camp looks like and what his workflow looks like leading into the season, we want to have him more than likely at that center spot and build on some things that he did last year,” O’Connell said in March.
In two consecutive OTAs open to local media, Brandel has worked with J.J. McCarthy in a quarterback-center drill while Jurgens has snapped to Kyler Murray; the two quarterbacks are competing for the starting job.
Mark Craig of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed reporting.