Vikings center Ryan Kelly lands on IR after second concussion in 15 days

The Vikings are placing starting center Ryan Kelly on injured reserve after he suffered a second concussion in a three-game span.

Kelly left the Vikings' Week 2 loss to the Falcons with a concussion before halftime. He then missed Week 3, but cleared the league's protocols and returned to the lineup last Sunday in Dublin — only to exit again with his second concussion in 15 days.

Now Kelly will miss at least the next four games as he recovers. The bye week does not count towards that number. He'll miss games against the Browns, Eagles, Chargers, and Lions, and will be first eligible to return to action in Week 10 against the Ravens.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, speaking earlier this week, made it clear that the team was not going to mess around with a situation this serious. Not only has Kelly suffered two concussions this season, he also suffered two in the 2023 season with the Colts and is up to five documented concussions in his NFL career.

"The health of our players is always the beginning, the end, and the middle of that conversation," O'Connell said on Monday. "So we'll totally defer to the doctors and we'll defer to the protocol. And then ultimately, we're gonna want to make sure Ryan's in a good place. That's not anything I particularly ever want to mess around with, so we'll be smart."

The Vikings' backup center has been 2024 seventh-round pick Michael Jurgens. But he is now dealing with a hamstring injury and won't play against the Browns on Sunday, so versatile guard/tackle Blake Brandel will make his first career appearance at center as the Vikings' third-string option at that position.

The bye week coming up will give Jurgens a chance to heal and potentially be available in Week 7 against Philadelphia.

Kelly, 32, spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Colts, who drafted him 18th overall out of Alabama in 2016. He was mostly durable, playing in 124 of a possible 148 games, but he did miss some time in each of the past two seasons. That reportedly played in a role in the Colts letting the four-time Pro Bowler walk in free agency.

Kelly signed a two-year, $18 million contract with the Vikings this spring, slightly over half of which was guaranteed. From a production standpoint, he's been as advertised. Kelly's 72.2 PFF grade ranks sixth out of the 35 centers who have played at least 100 snaps this season. Unfortunately for the Vikings, his first season in Minnesota has now been derailed by injury.

There may be some question, given Kelly's concussion history, about whether or not he'll return this season at all. The most important thing is the health of his brain.

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