4 October 2023
For the past couple of weeks, it has seemed as if the Vikings were finally going to get starting center Garrett Bradbury back. That hasn’t happened, as Bradbury has continued to sit out with a back injury he suffered in the Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The good news? At the very least, Bradbury continues to be a limited participant in practice, meaning he hasn’t suffered a setback.
Though it undoubtedly has been frustrating for Bradbury as he works himself to full strength, there’s a chance he returns for the Vikings on Sunday afternoon when they host the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Not that head coach Kevin O’Connell was willing to commit to anything.
‘We’re just going to take it a day at a time with him,” O’Connell said. “Hopefully progress throughout this week to where he’s available.”
Interestingly enough, O’Connell went on to mention backup center Austin Schlottmann unprompted, praising him for the job he has done in relief. In other words, the Vikings don’t feel like they have to rush anything with Bradbury, which is a good thing for everybody involved.
Risner continues to rotate
The mystery surrounding veteran offensive lineman Dalton Risner continues. Never mind that he has been getting a bunch of reps with the starters in practice. As of right now, left guard Ezra Cleveland and right guard Ed Ingram have yet to give up their spots on the interior of the offensive line.
That’s a bit of a surprise considering when Risner signed with the Vikings last month the assumption was that it wouldn’t take him long to become a starter
Will it happen at some point? That remains to be seen.
“When you add a player like Dalton in season, you want to give him an opportunity,” O’Connell said. “When that happens is really to be determined.”
Mattison platooning with Akers
In a perfect world for the Vikings, they won’t have a ball carrier taking all the reps in the backfield this season.
As confident as they are in running back Alexander Mattison, there’s a reason they went out and traded for Cam Akers last month.
That was on display throughout the game last weekend as the Vikings earned a 21-13 win over the Carolina Panthers. With quarterback Kirk Cousins unable to get much going through the air, Mattison and Akers took care of business on the ground, finishing with 95 yards and 40 yards, respectively, while splitting the reps.
“Just thought Alex got off to a great start in the game,” O’Connell said. “Then, Cam was able to kind of feel at times like a change of pace, although their styles aren’t that much different.”
Look for more of the same from Mattison and Akers moving forward with fellow running back Ty Chandler also getting some touches here and there.
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