The Minnesota Vikings have built one of the NFL’s best defenses without DT Sharrif Floyd, who has been out since he had a procedure done on his knee in September. He’s been on the active roster, but he has not even been at the facility lately, only returning today after nearly a two-week absence.
When asked when he would be able to practice or play, head coach Mike Zimmer said simply that he has “no idea.”
He was then asked why the team hadn’t put Floyd on IR if there’s a chance that he could be out all year. He’s just eating up a roster spot and not helping the team. Zimmer said:
“We didn’t think it was going to be six years’ worth of hurt.”
Obviously, he’s overstating the injury, which could show that he’s a bit frustrated with how things have gone. As noted, the team still has a tremendous defense with players like Shamar Stephen, Linval Joseph and Tom Johnson. However, having a former high pick would just give them that many more weapons and that much more depth. That could also be important since Joseph has been battling injuries and was even held out of practice yesterday with a shoulder issue.
The fact that Floyd is in the building again is positive. He was taking time to rehab on his own before, so this suggests at least a minor step toward a full return. However, it’s too soon to say that he’s about to help the team out, as he’s still not even practicing and doesn’t appear to be very close to 100 percent.
