The Minnesota Vikings are struggling to get their offense going through the first three weeks of the season. While the defense and special teams have been dominating for head coach Kevin O’Connell, offensive achievements are few and far between for this 3-0 team.
The Vikings suffered a key injury to backup tight end Josh Oliver in Sunday’s 23-16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Oliver had to leave the game with an arm injury, and the Vikings confirmed that he has a torn biceps muscle. He will miss a significant portion of the season and he was placed on Injured Reserve. Oliver will undergo surgery to repair the muscle.
“Really unfortunate,” O’Connell said at his media session, per MSN.com. “Josh has been a big part of what we do offensively. It’s not just going to be T.J. (Hockenson); it’ll be that tight end group as a whole. We’re going to need to step up and fill that void.”
Vikings regularly use multiple-TE formations
Oliver was the team’s backup tight end to T.J. Hockenson, and while he was not a huge statistical contributor, he played a key role as a blocker and has made occasional offensive contributions.
He is a seven-year NFL veteran since being selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has played four seasons with the Vikings after playing a year with the Jaguars and two years with the Baltimore Ravens.
Oliver caught 15 passes last season for 160 yards with 4 TDs last season.
Since Ben Yurosek is also on Injured Reserve, the Vikings have limited depth at the position. Gavin Bartholomew is the only other tight end on the roster, while Cam Grandy is on the practice squad.
Bartholomew was on the field for four snaps against the Buccaneers but he has not delivered any counting stats to this point. Grandy has caught seven passes in 13 games over two years with the Bengals.
The Vikings, like most NFL teams, use two-TE formations on a regular basis. It seems very likely that the Vikings will be bringing in a new tight end shortly.
