Minnesota Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw’s ACL recovery did not proceed swimmingly in 2025 — that’s an understatement — but as of July 2026, the man is firmly on track to return to form and be a part of training camp in three weeks.

That’s the word from Vikings.com this week at a time when Darrisaw’s presence will inevitably be crucial.

Vikings’ OL Anxiety Finally Cools

Vikings.com on Darrisaw

In a mailbag article this week, Craig Peters revealed, “Darrisaw worked through the situation last season, playing in parts or all of 10 games, but he’d probably be the first to say he didn’t feel like his best self.”

“Brian O’Neill was a warrior after suffering a knee injury during a questionable tactic by the Steelers during their FG block attempt in Dublin. While clean health is never guaranteed, the thought of having both players back is quite encouraging.”

Among many Vikings storylines, Darrisaw’s health is near the top of the list.

“The Vikings were crafty in signing Ryan Van Demark during free agency and have confidence in his ability to step in at either spot if needed. Minnesota also drafted Caleb Tiernan in the third round,” Peters continued.

“We’ll learn much more about the lesser-experienced/known players through training camp (once the pads are strapped) and preseason games when opponents can go full-throttle at QBs, but it did seem like the ‘Minnesota Moving Company’ was building some nice momentum this spring.”

There shouldn’t be much mystery about Darrisaw’s inclusion at training camp; he’ll be involved from the jump.

How We Got Here

Darrisaw has said that he “feels great” this spring and summer, and that’s not throwaway fodder. It’s a mighty development for the Vikings, perhaps even more so than typical early-summer optimism suggests. Darrisaw’s health is, frankly, paramount.

Last season was, in a word, peculiar. Darrisaw participated in 10 games in 2025, accumulating 504 offensive snaps. While seemingly adequate, the figure belies the fact that the Vikings managed him like a relief pitcher, implementing snap counts during games. On occasion, Minnesota even removed Darrisaw in the 4th Quarter after he reached his limit. Such occurrences are highly unusual in standard football.

It all traced back to the ACL tear he sustained in October 2024 against the Rams — a game memorable for Sam Darnold’s facemask being yanked on the decisive drive, unnoticed by officials. Since then, Darrisaw’s recovery has become one of the more perplexing ongoing narratives for the Vikings.

While some players recover from ACL tears in nine months and return to dominating pass rushers without issue, Darrisaw’s journey was more arduous. That doesn’t imply a lack of toughness or permanent damage; rather, it indicates a challenging recovery process that the Vikings navigated for much of last season.

Therefore, his declaration of “feeling great” means something. It alleviates a potential distraction that could have overshadowed training camp. Minnesota already faces enough questions at quarterback; the offensive line certainly didn’t need the added uncertainty of a left tackle mystery.

And if that player returns to form, the entire offense will undoubtedly appear far more robust by September.

Extra OTs This Offseason

Just in case, the Vikings have contingencies. The club signed veteran tackle Ryan Van Demark from the Buffalo Bills, and he’s the type of player that could end up as a productive starter if afforded the snaps. To date, he’s predominantly featured as a backup over three seasons, seeing action in 43 games but starting only 6.

And in the draft, Minnesota unexpectedly picked Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan in Round 3 — the pick it nabbed through the NFL’s compensatory process and Sam Darnold’s free-agent exit of 2025. Why unexpected? Well, the Vikings have Darrisaw at left tackle and O’Neill at right tackle. Neither is overly old.

Regardless, backup plans for Darrisaw are in place.

Big Money Invested

Two years ago, the Vikings signed Darrisaw to a four-year, $113 million extension with $77 million guaranteed. Next to Justin Jefferson, it’s the largest contract on Minnesota’s books. And let’s face it — Darrisaw signed the deal and got hurt four months later. The timing was terrible.

From a budgetary standpoint, the Vikings need a healthy Darrisaw to make the contract worthwhile. The torn ACL has already sullied the first two years of the deal’s momentum.

Darrisaw turned 27 last month. He’s the same age as Jefferson. They were born two weeks apart. Training camp kicks off in three weeks, and fans can formally join August 1st. The first preseason game is 40 days away.