Vikings LB Anthony Barr's Availability for Week 1 in Danger Due to Mystery Injury

Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr hasn't practiced since August 5th with an undisclosed injury. With the start of the regular season now less than three weeks away, the coaching staff has acknowledged the possibility that Barr won't be out there when the Vikings play in Cincinnati Week 1.

"I’m not sure, today I can’t tell you if he’s going to be ready Week 1 or not," co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Adam Zimmer said on Tuesday. "He’s doing everything he can rehab-wise to get back in there. Hopefully we have him Week 1. If not, we’ll have somebody step in and play for us."

We don't know much about Barr's injury. Following the Vikings' most recent preseason game, Mike Zimmer admitted that his situation was a concern and said they were being cautious with him. He added that it's not related to the torn pectoral muscle that ended Barr's 2020 season in the second game.

We may not know the nature of Barr's injury until Wednesday, September 8th. That's the first day the Vikings will be required to release an injury report ahead of their regular season opener against the Bengals. Until then, all that can be done is to wait and see if he returns to practice in any capacity.

Barr has been a key part of Mike Zimmer's defenses since he was Zimmer's first draft pick, No. 9 overall, in 2014. He relays the defensive play calls, is a dangerous pressure-producer as a blitzer, and can make plays downhill against runs or in coverage against passes. Barr has had significant ups and downs in his career, but his size and athleticism make him a critical chess piece for Zimmer, especially on third downs.

When he missed the final 14 games of last season, it was a major loss for a defense that was already without Danielle Hunter and Michael Pierce up front. Eric Wilson, now with the Eagles, wasn't able to replicate Barr's abilities as a run defender and tackler.

The Vikings poured significant resources into reloading their defense this offseason, but one thing is supposed to remain constant: the presence of Barr and Eric Kendricks in the middle of everything, as was the case from 2015 to 2019.

Being without Barr for any amount of time this season would hurt. But Kendricks can easily assume the role of communicating the defensive calls, and the Vikings might just have the depth at linebacker to not miss too much of a beat without Barr, as long as it's a short-term thing. Veteran Nick Vigil would step into a bigger role, second-year players Troy Dye and Blake Lynch impressed against the Colts, and rookie Chazz Surratt has a ton of upside with his athleticism.

“Yeah, we’ll work through that, whether it be playing a different package or one of the guys we have on the roster," Adam Zimmer said regarding who might have to step up. "Troy’s played multiple positions for us before. Chazz can play multiple positions, and I thought Blake did a nice job the other night against the Colts. It was his best performance since we’ve had him. So we’ll find a role and find the best way to match up in our base personnel that way."

One aspect of Barr's game that is difficult to replace is his size, as he's built like an edge rusher at 6'5", 257 pounds. Lynch is the closest to that size, but he's only 6'3" and 233 pounds. If the Vikings want someone with Barr's physical profile, they could turn to defensive end D.J. Wonnum, who is 6'5", 258. They've experimented with Wonnum at off-ball linebacker at times during training camp, so it could work.

The Vikings have various options for replacing Barr, but they'd like to get him back on the field as soon as possible. For now, we just don't know when that'll be — or what is keeping him out.

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