John Carlson cleared to play
Minnesota Vikings tight end John Carlson (89) is tackled by Chicago Bears safety Craig Steltz (20) during the third quarter at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Vikings tight end J0hn Carlson suffered a concussion in Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens, and he was held out of last week’s upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles after not being able to practice all week. However, he’s made significant progress since, and Vikings beat writer Sean Jensen reports that Carlson has been cleared from the concussion.
Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier informed reporters that Carlson has passed through the required stages of the league’s mandatory concussion protocol, and he looks like a full-go this week against the Cincinnati Bengals due to his full clearance. With Adrian Peterson fully expected to play as well and Toby Gerhart most likely back, it will be interesting to see if the Vikings offense can have another strong performance. They broke out against the Eagles thanks to surprise performances from Matt Cassel and Matt Asiata, but the Bengals defense is much better than the Eagles defense (plus, those two performances seem fluky).
Carlson has 32 receptions for 344 yards this season and is a decent tight end who can help the Vikings offense move the chains. Although he isn’t nearly as good as Kyle Rudolph, he’s a great No. 2 option and has been a capable replacement for Rudolph thus far. It’s great to hear that he has been cleared, and we’ll see how much of a role he has this week against the Bengals.