'I'll be fine': Vikings' Jackson on playing through injury, nearing return

Vikings left guard Donovan Jackson, the team's first-round pick in this year's draft, earned a lot of respect from his teammates and coaches when he played through a wrist injury that required surgery back in Week 3 against the Bengals. There may have been some wincing and anxiety among Minnesota's medical staff, but Jackson wanted to play, he was cleared to do so, and he wound up playing quite well in the blowout win over Cincinnati.

"Couldn't get any worse, that was my mindset," Jackson said on Monday. "I was told that yeah, it was a significant injury in terms of wrists, but they said 'Well, if you brace it up, you won't have to get surgery at least for like another week.' So I was like 'Oh, so I can play the game?' They're like 'Well, we don't recommend it.' I was like 'No, you said another week. I'll be fine.' So, played the game, did what I could to the best of my abilities, and then I was on a plane that same night."

Shortly after playing in that game, Jackson flew out to Los Angeles and underwent surgery on his wrist the following morning. He missed the Vikings' two international games while recovering from the surgery, but was back at practice on Monday and has a chance to return this Sunday against the Eagles.

"It feels pretty good," Jackson said of his wrist. "It's just getting out here, gaining confidence in it. The training staff did an amazing job, especially over the bye week, even overseas with the facilities we had, trying to get it right, trying to get the inflammation down. I'm just out here trying to strike and make sure it feels good."

Toughness and competitiveness are just a couple of the myriad reasons why the Vikings loved Jackson coming out of Ohio State this year and made him the 24th overall pick in April. Last season at OSU, he moved from left guard to left tackle due to a teammate's injury. That's a difficult mid-season transition, but he shined at his adapted position during the Buckeyes' run to a national championship.

When Jackson learned that he could play against the Bengals without much risk of further harm, there was no hesitation: he was going to be out there with his teammates. He admitted he even had some thought of continuing to play through the issue for the rest of the season, but the training staff convinced him this was something he should get fixed so it wouldn't be a nagging issue later in the year, especially considering he's a rookie.

It's still up in the air as to whether or not Jackson returns to action this week, but the Vikings would love to have him on the field if his wrist is ready. Although he struggled a bit against the Falcons, Jackson played excellent football in two of the first three NFL games of his career. Getting him back will provide a big boost, whenever it happens.

"We're gonna prepare accordingly," Jackson said. "Though it is repaired, still have to take precautions with it. As long as I have certain mobility (with the wrist) and certain mobility in my fingers as well, then I'll be alright."

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