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Vikings WR No. 2 Jordan Addison avoids serious injury, but will be out for some time after ankle injury

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — The Vikings have avoided a second major injury loss in two days.

Minnesota's No. 2 wide receiver Jordan Addison is expected to miss some time with a left ankle injury he suffered Wednesday – just hours after Vikings rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy was ruled out for the rest of the season following knee surgery.

Although it is not known exactly how long Addison will be out, Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that the 22-year-old, who recorded 70 catches and 10 touchdowns as a rookie last season, is not seriously injured.

“He's going to go through the rehab process and (we) look forward to having him back as soon as possible,” O'Connell said after the second of two joint practices against the Browns. “I don't think he's going to be out for an extended period of time or anything like that.”

Addison was injured when he appeared to step on the foot of a Cleveland defender after jumping up to catch a pass from Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. He got up and tried to walk before stumbling and needing help. He was carted off the field.

Star receiver Justin Jefferson said he was confident Addison was not too seriously injured.

“I mean, I saw from the field when it happened that it wasn't going to be a serious injury,” Jefferson said. “But it's always annoying when your regular player gets injured like that and then is out for a couple of weeks.”

“But we need him for Week 1 and as long as we get him for Week 1, everything is fine.”

The Vikings open the regular season on September 8th at the New York Giants.

Addison, a first-round pick in 2023, was sensational in his first season and proved to be a perfect complement to Jefferson, one of the NFL's most talented receivers.

O'Connell also said that wide receiver Thayer Thomas is in concussion protocol after his injury Wednesday and that linebacker Blake Cashman needs stitches for an unspecified injury and should be back soon.

The Vikings were still processing the devastating news about McCarthy, who tore a meniscus in his knee sometime during his season debut last week against Las Vegas.

Although McCarthy was unlikely to win the starting job, he put pressure on Darnold, who had signed a one-year deal with Minnesota to serve as a stopgap while the Vikings developed a younger quarterback.

“Obviously very sad news,” Darnold said.

McCarthy may not play in his first season, but Darnold said the former Michigan star could benefit in other ways.

“You can learn so much just sitting on the sidelines or watching practice or watching game replays,” he said. “Even just sitting on the sidelines at games, you can learn a lot.”

Jefferson agreed, saying McCarthy could rely on the support of his teammates on his way back.

“It's tough to have to sit out even longer and fulfill the dream that you've had for a long time, but we're going to be behind him the whole time,” Jefferson said. “We're always going to give him that encouragement, that encouraging attitude that everything's going to be OK and he can just use this time off and really learn the system, learn how everything works.”

NOTES: O'Connell hasn't decided how often he'll use his starters in Saturday's exhibition game against the Browns. … Vikings WR Trishton Jackson was involved in some heated trash talk with a guest of one of the Browns players. After catching a touchdown pass, Jackson sprinted out of the end zone with the ball and wanted to show it to the person, who had since calmed down. … Jefferson had some 1-on-1 matchups with Browns DB Martin Emerson Jr., who he believes can be elite. “He's a big, physical cornerback and will definitely cause some problems on the field,” Jefferson said. “It's great to go against cornerbacks like that that give me extra work or just spice up my style of play a little bit.”

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