Inside The Vikings

Ivan Pace Jr. set to return for Vikings, who are approaching full strength

Pace practiced in full on Thursday and will be back after missing two games.
Will Ragatz|
Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants guard Greg Van Roten (74) pass protects against Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (0) during the second half at MetLife Stadium.
Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants guard Greg Van Roten (74) pass protects against Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (0) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. | John Jones-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

Knock on wood, but the Vikings are getting close to being at full strength, health-wise. They got Jordan Addison and Dallas Turner back from injuries last week. This week, they'll get linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. back after he missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Then, at some point after the bye, T.J. Hockenson will be ready to join the offense.

Pace practiced in full on Thursday and will head to London to play without any limitations against the Jets on Sunday, barring any sort of setback.

Veteran Kamu Grugier-Hill filled in quite nicely at linebacker over the last two weeks, snagging an interception in both games, but the Vikings will be excited to get Pace back into the mix in their defense. He was incredible as a rookie in 2023 and was one of their best players in the opener against the Giants, a game where he had four pressures and five tackles. He added nine tackles in Week 2 against the 49ers.

With Pace set to re-join Blake Cashman as the Vikings' starting linebackers, Grugier-Hill will return to his previous role as the top backup and a key special teams player. It's possible he could mix in for a handful of snaps on defense after playing as well as he did in Pace's absence. The depth of this Vikings defense is rather remarkable.

The only players who were limited for the Vikings during Thursday's practice were Brandon Powell (chest) and Josh Oliver (wrist). Both appear to be on track to play this weekend.

The Vikings' flight departs from Minnesota on Thursday afternoon and lands on Friday morning in London time. They'll fight some jet-lag while going through a day of preparation on Friday, but should be fully adjusted by the time Sunday's kickoff rolls around.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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