The Minnesota Vikings will have some questions surrounding their wide receiver room to start the season, as injuries and suspensions have hurt them. One of the players on the injury side is Jalen Nailor, who hurt his hand during joint practices against the New England Patriots.
There was uncertainty on whether he would be available for the Vikings' Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears, and there seems to be some good news surrounding him, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
“The Vikings are optimistic about wide receiver Jalen Nailor (hand) playing Week 1 vs. Chicago barring a setback, per sources. Minnesota envisions a key role for Nailor, especially with Jordan Addison out via suspension,” Fowler wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Nailor is set to be the WR3 for the Vikings this season, and he was going to be needed early with Jordan Addison suspended for the first three weeks because of his DUI case. Rondale Moore also suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason. It was obvious at that moment that the Vikings probably needed to look to sign some extra help at receiver or trade for someone, and that's what they did.
A few days ago, the Vikings traded for Adam Thielen, someone who is already familiar with the Vikings after starting his career with the team. At this point, it wouldn't be a surprise if he slotted in as the WR2 with everything going on with the wide receiver depth, and once everyone gets back, they should have a really good line of pass catchers.
That's a plus for the offense and J.J. McCarthy, who will be starting at quarterback for the Vikings this season after missing last year with a meniscus injury. Nonetheless, McCarthy's job shouldn't be that hard to start the season, because Justin Jefferson is healthy and ready to go, and should be one of the top receivers in the league this year.
