Minnesota’s linebacker depth took a hit on Thursday.
The Vikings placed LB Nick Vigil on the COVID-19/Reserve list. Vigil has been a key cog in the Minnesota defense for much of the season — with both LBs Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks dealing with injury issues.
The Vikings have other depth linebackers who offer something different than Vigil, like Blake Lynch, for instance. However, Minnesota has a pivotal Week 17 against Green Bay this year. The Vikings need all the reinforcements they can get, so Vigil being in COVID-19 protocol is not a good sign.
Also, the Vigil news comes after the Vikings listed LB Chazz Surratt as “DNP” on the Wednesday injury report. Surratt is pretty low on the linebacker depth chart — he has zero defensive snaps this season — but he could still serve as depth against Green Bay.
Also, Surratt is more of a pass coverage linebacker, and while it should be cold at Lambeau Field on Sunday, the Packers are a pass-happy team. Surratt can still possibly play and so can Vigil, but these moves were a step in the wrong direction for a team dealing with a lot of bad luck at the moment.
