Tiernan’s Return Key for Vikings OL | NFL News

0:00It's September 2nd. You're listening to NFL News Today, AI-powered NFL coverage. Alright, let's talk about the Vikings draft class and specifically one of their offensive guys. They went heavy on defense early in the draft, but they did snag an offensive tackle named Caleb Tiernan in the third round. He's out of Northwestern, and the big news is about his availability for the start of the season. Now Tiernan had a bit of a rough go in the preseason. He was splitting time between left and right tackle on the second string, then had a tough first game, and unfortunately went down with an ankle. Injury, he's been sideline since then, which isn't ideal for a rookie trying to make his mark. But here's the positive spin, and it comes from ESPN's breakdown of rookie outlooks. They're projecting good news for Tiernan. Despite the injury, the expectation is that he'll be ready to go for the regular season opener. That's a big deal for the team's depth on the offensive line. Even though his preseason reps weren't exactly stellar, the experience of being around the team, watching from the sidelines and learning from, veteran offensive tackle Christian

1:05Derrissau will be super valuable. It's all about development, and getting him back on the field healthy is the priority. So while the early draft focus was defense, getting Tiernan back and contributing, even if it's just through learning and practice reps initially, is a key piece of the puzzle for the Vikings' offensive line as the season gets underway.