If the regular season ended today, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman would be in line for not just the first Pro Bowl nod of his accomplished eight-year NFL career, but also first-team All-Pro honors. However, if the Vikings played the Green Bay Packers today, Cashman probably wouldn’t be able to participate in the game.
The off-ball LB’s status for Week 10 is up in the air after he sustained a concussion during the Vikings loss’ to the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football” four days ago.
And while Minnesota’s official injury report is still pending for Friday, November 13, word out of practice is that Cashman is back to participating in limited fashion.
“Blake Cashman is back at Vikings practice in a no-contact jersey today, as he works through the concussion protocol on his way back from his collision against the Bills on Monday night,” Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reported on X.
Vikings LB Blake Cashman Has Shot to Return Against Packers, but Odds Are Against Him
Cashman did not practice at all on Tuesday or Wednesday. The NFL has instituted a mandatory concussion protocol with steps that a player must pass in order to return to the field of play.
There is no specific return timeline, as the ability to bounce back from such injuries vary significantly from circumstance to circumstance based on the player himself as well as the severity of the issue.
Most commonly, a concussed player misses one contest and returns the following week. However, some make it back soon enough to avoid sitting out any actual game time.
On a couple of occasions this season, quarterbacks Tyson Bagent and Deshaun Watson of the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns, respectively, self-reported concussion symptoms to their teams early in the week (Tuesday) following sustaining the injury in the previous game.
Both cleared protocol by one day, but neither played.
In those situations, the teams’ decisions not to play Bagent and Watson came down to the nature of their positions at quarterback, the game plans the offenses had implemented in case their presumed starting signal-callers that week couldn’t go, and the backup QBs in each locker room taking the majority of first-team reps during practice sessions.
Blake Cashman Faces Uphill Battle to Return to Field After Concussion on Short Week
Cashman has the advantage of playing linebacker, which means if he clears protocol in time, there is a better chance the Vikings will put him on the field because stepping back into his position isn’t as complicated as that of a quarterback for a variety of reasons.
However, Cashman has one less day to get where he needs to get health-wise as Minnesota comes off a short week — playing on Sunday morning after a Monday night contest that allows for only six days off rather than the more traditional seven-day break.
Cashman’s absence would prove significant against a Packers offense that has been humming with quarterback Jordan Love playing at an MVP level.
Vikings’ Blake Cashman Gets Concussion Update Before Packers Game