Season-ending injuries are an unfortunate part of training camp. The injury bug has now made its way to the Minnesota Vikings, which have lost defensive tackle James Lynch for the 2023 season. James Lynch tore his ACL in practice Thursday. The injury will force the Vikings' defensive tackle to undergo season-ending surgery, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Lynch's injury comes at a difficult time for the former fourth-round pick. Lynch is entering the final season of his four-year, $3.98 million contract with the Vikings. Instead of getting the chance to play his way to a much bigger second contract, Lynch will enter free agency after missing an entire year's worst of games.

Lynch's playing time with the Vikings has increased every year. After playing in just nine games as a rookie, Lynch appeared in 13 games during the 2021 season. He set a career-high with 30 tackles. In 2022, Lynch recorded 20 tackles in 15 games.

Minnesota can ill-afford to lose any depth on defense, even a player who isn't widely known. The Vikings' defense was the team's undoing last season. Minnesota ranked second-to-last in total defense and passing yards allowed per game. Coming off a 13-4 regular season, the Vikings were upset by the New York Giants 31-24 in the wild-card playoffs because of a poor defensive effort.

The Vikings brought in former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores to be the new defensive coordinator. If Flores doesn't turn the unit around, Minnesota will be hard-pressed to contend in the NFC this season.

Lynch's injury occurred exactly one week before the Vikings' preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks.