Another Vikings Player Hits IR

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.

Minnesota Vikings tight end Nick Muse will miss at least the next four games, yet another name on an injury list already too extensive.

Another Vikings Player Hits IR

Muse injured his hand in Sunday’s win over the San Francisco 49ers, and according to head coach Kevin O’Connell, the IR trip is more precautionary than mandatory.

Minnesota Vikings tight end Nick Muse (34) gets around Tennessee Titans safety Mike Brown (44) at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. © Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK.

Still, Muse is out of the lineup until October 24th at the Los Angeles Rams — his earliest allowable return date.

O’Connell told reporters on Wednesday, four days before the Vikings host the undefeated Houston Texans: “Want to just highlight Nick Muse, early on in the football game, he did have a small fracture in his hand and he will … he could play, but it would require him to wear a big old cast on his hand and have that thing wrapped, so Nick’s value as a blocker and a pass catcher for us on game day, we thought it best to allow that thing to heal over the next three to four weeks.”

Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell joined KFAN’s Dan Barreiro after 2024 Vikings Training Camp practice at the TCO Performance Center. July 31st, 2024. The Vikings finished 7-10 in 2023, O’Connell’s second season. The team is expected to win about six or seven games in 2024.

Without Muse, Minnesota will lean on tight ends Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt while perhaps promoting N’Keal Harry or Robert Tonyan to the gameday roster. Stay tuned.

“He was placed on short-term IR, which will allow us to get Myles Gaskin as our third back on the roster. And then I’ll keep you guys posted about what the plan of attack is at the tight end position as the week goes on,” O’Connell added about Muse’s IR stint.

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Muse, a South Carolina alumnus, has played in 14 regular season games since entering the NFL as a 7th-Round pick in 2022. He totaled 805 receiving yards in 31 games as a Gamecock from 2019 to 2021.

So far in 2024, Muse has played 19 snaps in two games — all special teams.

These players also live on the Vikings IR or PUP list:

Mekhi Blackmon, CB (Knee, Out for season)

Jeremy Flax, OL (Out for season)

T.J. Hockenson, TE (Knee, Out at least 2 more games)

Jordan Kunaszyk, LB (Out for season)

J.J. McCarthy, QB (Knee, Out for season)

Gabriel Murphy, OLB (Out at least 2 more games)

Dalton Risner, OG (Back, Out at least 2 more games)

NaJee Thompson, CB (Knee, Out for season)

Muse said during his pursuit of the 53-man roster last summer, “Not many people get to play in the NFL. This is a dream come true for 99 percent of the little kids. I wanted to be how I am right now.”

Image from @nick__muse on Instagram.

Houston is favored by two points over Minnesota this weekend.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.