Justin Jefferson injury status revealed
The Minnesota Vikings second-year star receiver Justin Jefferson injured his shoulder in practice on Friday. Those at the practice held their collective breaths as he remained on the ground for quite some time. His injury happened when he went up for a catch on a slant route midway through practice. Jefferson came down hard on his shoulder spraining his AC joint.
According to NFL Network’s, Ian Rapoport Jefferson went through a series of tests after practice. The tests concluded that the injury to Jefferson’s shoulder was a minor one. Although the injury appeared devastating in real-time; Jefferson should have a speedy recovery. He is currently listed as day-to-day and is not expected to miss any extended time. So do not expect Jefferson’s shoulder injury to keep him out of kickoff weekend.
What Jefferson means to the Vikings
Jefferson exploded onto the scene last year for the Vikings. The 22nd-overall pick had 88 catches for 1400 yards. His 1400 yards broke the NFL record for most rookie receiving yards. And, his 88 receptions broke the Vikings franchise record for most catches in a rookie season. The franchise record was previously held by Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss. Jefferson was one of six receivers drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. Even though he was a key contributor to LSU’s historic championship run, he had to wait late into the first round to hear his name called. Despite that, Jefferson completed one of the most complete rookie wideout seasons in NFL history. He is expected to pick up where he left off last year and play a key role in the Vikings offense.
Without Jefferson, the Viking’s offense might have suffered significantly. He led the team in basically all receiving categories except for touchdowns. He and fellow wideout Adam Thielen were targeted over 100 times last year. No other wideout had more than 30 targets last year. Tight ends Herb Smith Jr and Kyle Rudolph had a total of 58 catches combined on 80 targets. The Vikings did bring on ex-Jacksonville Jaguar Dede Westbrook. However, he is still making his way back from an ACL tear he suffered in week seven last year.
(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)