The Minnesota Vikings spent to protect second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy this offseason, and includes the team’s highest-paid guard, Will Fries.
Minnesota signed Fries to a five-year, $87.72 million deal this offseason. Unfortunately, Fries has been dealing with a tibia injury from last season, and he hasn’t practiced with the team yet.
“Yeah, he’s been — it’s almost hard to believe with how strong he is, some of the things you’re hearing about from what he’s doing in the weight room — but we’re being really smart with the injury that it was,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters on Wednesday regarding Fries. “And then once we’re able to kind of get him in and get a feel for that, you know, knowing how we handle the spring. I don’t know if we’ll see him fully active this spring.”
“But I have no hesitation to say that I’m really excited to see him when he’s able to get out there, more than likely, for training camp,” O’Connell added. “There’s still a chance we could see him in some bits and pieces of work over the next two weeks. But he’s in a good spot.”
Fries injured his tibia in Week 5 last year when he played for the Indianapolis Colts. The 6-foot-5 tackle has 31 career starts in four seasons.
McCarthy will need experienced blockers such as Fries as the 2024 No. 9 pick hasn’t played a regular season game yet due to his meniscus surgery last year.
Will Fries Isn’t Missing Real Reps, Kevin O’Connell Says
O’Connell isn’t overly concerned about Fries not getting reps with the team at organized team activities because the fourth-year coach can’t have his team do full on-field reps anyway. He explained that during a May appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
“Rich, right now, the rules prohibit even Minnesota Vikings defensive players from lining up across from Minnesota Vikings offensive players,” O’Connell explained to Eisen. “So we would be imagining one heck of an opponent if we said it was us coaches standing out there as a defense, or some of the other offensive players forming a defense.”
“That’s not what this time of year is about. This is the learning, the teaching phase,” O’Connell continued. “So much growth and development can happen during this time when there’s really no negative outcomes. There’s no plays that don’t go your way and have a real impact on the team.”
“They’re all just learning moments right now, but there’s going to come a time where that changes, and it’s going to come very rapidly and quickly,” he concluded.
1 Thing Going in Will Fries’ Favor With Vikings
If Fries doesn’t take the field until training camp, he will at least have a familiar face on the field next to him — center Ryan Kelly. The two played together during the past four years with the Colts.
“He’s incredibly intelligent at making ID calls and having a feel for pressures and games, things like that. That’s a lot of stuff that’s rubbed off on me,” Fries told Vikings Entertainment Network’s Tatum Everett in March. “The way he sees the game, and he’s able to help me watch film and improve my game, it’s been huge, and for us to see the game through almost the same lens of eyes, that’s a big plus for the both of us.”
