Kevin O'Connell shares encouraging injury updates on 7 key Vikings

Updates on Blake Cashman, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, Brian O'Neill, Donovan Jackson, Michael Jurgens, and Andrew Van Ginkel.

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman (51). | Image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Blake Cashman's 21-day practice window has been opened. That gives the Vikings three weeks to activate him from injured reserve, which is an indicator that he's close to returning from the hamstring strain he suffered in Week 1 against the Bears.

Cashman wasn't the only player head coach Kevin O'Connell had injury news about on Monday.

"You will also have Donovan Jackson, Michael Jurgens, Brian O'Neill, and J.J. McCarthy taking part in the work today, as well as throughout the week in different capacities," O'Connell said. Let's dive into the specifics...

Cashman could return Sunday against Philly

"He assumes that green dot position," O'Connell said of Cashman. "We have seen since we got Blake, when he's out there and we're playing the type of defense that we've been accustomed to seeing, Blake's got a lot to do with it. Very, very excited to get him back."

O'Connell said they'll "see where he's at towards the tail end of the week" before deciding his game status for the noon kickoff against the defending champion Eagles.

McCarthy is getting his feet back underneath him

"We had some good work last week. It was great to get back on the grass. We had some good sessions out there, getting back to a lot of the principles of lower-body mechanics and things that had been really good parts of his early journey here. It didn't even hit me until we were out there; he had practiced one time since we had left Chicago," O'Connell said of McCarthy, who has missed the last three games with a high ankle sprain.

"You're allowing him to get his feet back underneath him, but then building that foundation of fundamentals and techniques," O'Connell continued.

"Very excited to get him back officially practicing. I don't necessarily want to put a percentage on where I think he's at health-wise, and I think this week will be massive for our whole team, but just to see J.J. back out there, getting reps and working through the process of building that foundation back up, and we got off to a really good start last week. I was very fortunate to get that time with him."

Carson Wentz is still dealing with soreness

"He was sore coming out of the game," said O'Connell, noting that Wentz hurt his left shoulder in London against the Browns. "He's gotten to a good place where he can participate and take part in the preparation. The biggest thing for him is it's a non-throwing shoulder, so it's a matter of working through that soreness as it comes to him."

O'Connell noted that Wentz has held onto the ball too long at times, and that has led to him taking unnecessary hits. At the same time, he praised Wentz for taking what the defense gives him most of the time.

Best-case scenario for the offensive line?

There's no guarantee that Jackson, Jurgens, or O'Neill return for the Eagles game, but all three could be available. If that's the case, the Vikings could have four-fifths of the original O-line intact for a game against a dangerous Eagles defensive front.

Best-case O-line:

• LT: Christian Darrisaw (he's a lock to play)
• LG: Donovan Jackson
• C: Michael Jurgens or Blake Brandel
• RG: Will Fries (he's a lock to play)
• RT: Brian O'Neill

The debate is whether Brandel, who was really good in his first career game at center in Week 5 against Cleveland, is a better option than Jurgens, who has given up some ugly pressures.

The worst-case scenario would be a repeat of what the Vikings went with against Cleveland.

• LT: Christian Darrisaw
• LG: Joe Huber
• C: Blake Brandel
• RG: Will Fries
• RT: Justin Skule

What about Aaron Jones and Andrew Van Ginkel?

O'Connell didn't have an update on Jones, who is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and hasn't played since Week 2 against Atlanta. He's out a minimum of one more week. Van Ginkel, however, appears to be moving in the right direction with his neck injury, even though his status for Sunday's game against Philadelphia is unclear.

"He's doing better. He's going to be working on a side field early on this week," O'Connell said. "What I see is his workload picking up as we go. I don't really have an update on his availability for Sunday yet. I want to see how he does with some of that side-field work. He'll be a critical guy to get back in there when we can.

"Gink's going to be on a timeline that I don't necessarily have at this time, but I do feel positive about where he's at today and moving forward."

The first official injury report will be released on Wednesday.