Vikings lose another rising star for multiple weeks due to injury, and it happens to be at the perfect time

The Vikings will be just fine without Jackson, but it stinks nonetheless

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Jul 29, 2025; Eagan, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings guard Donovan Jackson (74) takes part in drills during the teams training camp at the Minnesota Vikings Training Facility.
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings had a dominant win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon by a score of 48-10. Ultimately, the news coming out of that game wasn’t all good, as head coach Kevin O’Connell announced during his Monday press conference that left guard Donovan Jackson had wrist surgery on Monday.

“He [Jackson] suffered a wrist injury against Atlanta that was deemed to be something that would require surgery. He did have that this morning in Los Angeles as part of a planned surgery,” said O’Connell. “It was determined last week that he could play in the football game and not do any further harm.”

Donovan Jackson to miss time after wrist surgery

O’Connell was clear about Jackson’s play and timeline to return. They expect him back as soon as Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I want to first and foremost highlight a young player who played a fantastic football game. But to do it in those circumstances and be willing to, without any hesitation, be out there with his team,” said O’Connell. “We’re already down some guys in the interior who will return this week, but I thought Donovan was fantastic on the field, and just what that means within the standing amongst the locker room and his teammates. This is not a short-term IR thing. This is a procedure that, like I said, successfully took place this morning. And we’re hoping to be able to use the bye as part of that timeline, to have Donovan back as soon as possible. But, he’s off to a great start in his career, everything we hoped he would be.”

Losing Jackson is a tough blow for the Vikings, especially with how good his rookie season has been. However, a short-term injury is the best-case scenario for the player and team. With Christian Darrisaw’s return on Sunday, it makes things a little more palpable to lose Jackson for a couple of games.

Blake Brandal, who was the starter at left guard last season for the Vikings, will start in Jackson’s place. Brandal’s performance led the Vikings to draft Jackson to replace him. However, his best games were next to Darrisaw, which he will be able to do for the next few weeks.

In the six full games that Brandel played next to Darrisaw, he allowed just six pressures. The rest of the season saw Brandel allow 40 pressures. It’s not surprising to see Brandel’s performance dip without having one of the top left tackles playing next to him, but how well he played with Darrisaw flanking him was impressive. Additionally, Brandel will have Ryan Kelly set to return from his concussion on the right, which is an improvement over what the Vikings had in Garrett Bradbury.

Things will be just fine for the Vikings with Brandel in the game.

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