John Carlson Injury: Vikings Tight End Missing Valuable Reps

John Carlson is taking longer than expected to heal from a sprained MCL suffered early in training camp. The Minnesota Vikings tight end is expected to be healthy enough to play when the regular season begins, but the free agent pickup realizes he's missing valuable reps while sitting on the sidelines.

Carlson said on Thursday that he has a good feel for the Vikings offense just from watching things happen from the sidelines, but realizes that on-field reps are crucial in his preparation.

"Footwork, pad level, hand placement in the run game and keeping the feet driving once you meet contact -- those things, you need reps to get that back," Carlson said. "In the pass game, pass releases, again footwork, running routes, getting proper depths, getting on the same page as the quarterback."

"These are things I've been mentally taking reps at, and I do think that that helps to visualize and go through things in your head. I know that helps. Again, it's not taking the physical reps on the field and not an ideal situation. But this is the situation that I'm in, and I have to make the most of it."

The Vikings have an advantage considering Carlson is expected to complement Kyle Rudolph as a two-headed tight end combination, but the sooner he's ready to go 100 percent, the better.

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John Carlson Injury: Vikings New Tight End Still Not Cleared To Practice

John Carlson sprained his knee in late July and, after the MRI revealed that he was able to avoid torn ligaments, the timetable was set for him to return to the Minnesota Vikings active roster in two to four weeks. The "two" portion was overly optimistic, however, as it now seems like four weeks might have been the best bet.

The Vikings had hoped to have their new tight end integrated into the offense sooner rather than later, but the Pioneer Press reports that likely won't be the case.

Tight end John Carlson (knee) did not practice Monday, Aug. 20, and is not expected to play in the Vikings' preseason game Friday, Aug. 24, against the Chargers.

Hopefully he's able to play the final preseason game, but it's obviously best not to rush Carlson back too fast from a knee injury.

For all news and information regarding the Minnesota Vikings, please visit the Daily Norseman or check out SB Nation Minnesota. For complete coverage of all things football, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NFL hub.

Vikings Injury Update: Josh Robinson Returns, John Carlson Out Longer Than Expected

The Minnesota Vikings have had to deal with a rather large injury burden already this training camp when remembering Adrian Peterson began the year on the physically unable to perform list. Thankfully they were able to avoid issue with their first-round pick, too, as Matt Kalil aced his MRI on Monday evening.

Kalil suffered an injured thumb in the week's opening practice. The MRI reveled no damage, however, and Charlie Johnson was able to retake his role as backup offensive lineman before Monday night's practice was even over.

The injury to Kalil isn't the only one the Vikings are keeping an eye on in training camp, however, as our friends at 1500 ESPN have a rundown of the other ailing Vikings following Monday's practice.

• Josh Robinson, the team's third-round pick, returned to practice on Monday after sitting out pieces of training camp with a hurt hamstring. He's expected to make his preseason debut this week.
• John Carlson, the team's new tight end coming over from the Seattle Seahawks, was initially projected to miss just two weeks. It's been two weeks, however, but his right knee is still giving him problems so head coach Leslie Frazier said he'll be out until Sunday at the earliest.
• Fifth-round pick Robert Blanton also returned to practice after sitting out the past two weeks with a hamstring injury of his own, helping give depth to the defensive backfield.
• Running back Jared Todman tried to practice, but apparently looked "very ginger." He's probably not going to be able to play this week's preseason game.
• Defensive end Jeff Charleston sat out with headaches, not the ankle injury that required an MRI last week.
• Three players have already been declared "out" for Friday's preseason game: Geoff Schwartz (sports hernia surgery), nose tackle Letroy Guion (knee) and receiver Kamar Jorden (hand).

That seems a bit lengthy for the preseason, but such is life with the Vikings, it seems.

For all news and information regarding the Minnesota Vikings, please visit the Daily Norseman or check out SB Nation Minnesota. For complete coverage of all things football, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NFL hub.

John Carlson Injury: MRI Reveals Ligament Is Not Torn

John Carlson was revealed to have a sprained MCL back on Tuesday, an injury that's likely to sideline the Vikings tight end for the rest of the pre-season. The big question was if the ligament was torn after the sprain, and an MRI was scheduled so that the Vikings could see what the extent of the damage was.

Fortunately, the MRI was conducted and revealed that the news was good and the ligament was not torn. That means that he won't require surgery:

With an MCL sprain, "you don't have to have any surgery," Frazier said. "It heals by itself. So, it's a little bit more of a pain tolerance thing, depending on how he feels."

Even a two-week absence from practice would cut into Carlson's action in the preseason, which begins on Aug. 10 at San Francisco. With no setbacks, though, there's no reason to believe he won't be back in time for the Sept. 9 opener against Jacksonville.

With Carlson out, the tight end depth on the Vikings is a bit iffy for the preseason with only Kyle Rudolph looking like a sure starter.

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John Carlson Injury: Vikings TE Has Sprained Knee, Set To Undergo MRI

Minnesota Vikings tight end John Carlson suffered a sprained MCL in training camp and will undergo an MRI to assess his timetable.