Vikings Training Camp Begins with Shocking Injury Twist

“The 22-year-old will only benefit from an offensive line boasting consistency and experience out of the gate. That includes Darrisaw and Fries returning from injury, Ryan Kelly bringing vet know-how from Indy and Brian O’Neill continuing to be an anchor in the position room and on the line at right tackle.”

That’s about as positive as it could possibly get for Fries’ injury recovery.

O’Connell also told reporters about Fries, “Then he’ll assume, hopefully, a full allotment of reps here.”

Fries’ Fractured Tibia Last Year Caused Initial Mystery

Fries broke his leg in a Week 5 game, a loss, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. A fractured tibia is obviously serious, so when Minnesota took the plunge for his services in free agency, folks wondered if his recovery would bleed into the regular season.

Couple that question with the Vikings’ reputation for slow-rolling injury recoveries out of an abundance of caution, and all onlookers could do was “wait and see.”

Well, as training camp has arrived, Fries is in a wonderful spot and should be ready for the bright lights of Monday Night Football on September 8th.

A New Expectation for Week 1

Thanks to Young’s reporting and O’Connell’s positive comments, the new expectation is that Fries should very much be ready for the Chicago Bears in 6.5 weeks.

like his teammates, tight end Gavin Bartholomew and outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss.

Yet, that didn’t happen for Fries — or Christian Darrisaw — meaning Vikings’ summer operations are off to a terrific start.

Minnesota’s New OL

Because of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s emphasis on the offensive and defensive trenches this offseason, Minnesota has a brand new OL fivesome heading into 2025.

She wrote, “Fries was born on Staten Island, New York, but later relocated with his family to Cranford, New Jersey, where he played prep football at Cranford High School. Fries played both offensive and defensive line; he helped lead the Cougars to the Mid-State 38 Conference Championship in 2014 and North 2 Group 3 State Championship in 2015.”

“He was rated a four-star prospect by Rivals and a three-star prospect by ESPN, 247Sports and Scout. Throughout his college and NFL playing career, Fries has used his platform for good. He teamed up with Uplifting Athletes while prepping for his Penn State Pro Day, encouraging people to pledge a dollar amount per bench press rep in support of rare disease research.”

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