Minnesota Vikings Brian Robison injures pectoral

By Kevin Parvizi | May 14, 2015

The Minnesota Vikings have built a formidable defense under first-time head coach Mike Zimmer, who added two more impact players in this year’s draft after picking up cornerback Trae Waynes in the first round and stealing top inside linebacker prospect Eric Kendricks in the second. There’s plenty of young talent on the Vikings defense, but there are still a couple of key veterans, with one of them being 32-year-old defensive end Brian Robison, who is one of the league’s most underrated players at the position.

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Unfortunately for the Vikings, their underrated veteran pass rusher went down with an injury, though its severity is unknown. Per sources close to FOX Sports’s Peter Schrager and Mike Garafolo, Robison suffered a pectoral injury during a workout today.

We can only hope that it isn’t a major injury, because injuries that happen this early in the calendar year catch the attention of everyone. We already saw rookies Dante Fowler Jr. and Jeff Heuerman go down with dis-heartening, season-ending injuries, and it would be equally tough to watch a steady veteran like Robison, who is a big part of a rising Vikings defense, go down for an extended period of time.

Last season, Robison recorded just 4.5 sacks after putting up three straight seasons with at least eight sacks, and while he’s been more known for his consistent pressure and not his sack totals, he didn’t have his best season in 2014. Of course, he should be in store for a bounce-back season in 2015, and it’s not like the guys behind him can be counted on to even produce about five sacks if thrown into the fire.

Should anything happen to Robison, the Vikings would have to count on youngsters like Scott Crichton and third-round rookie Danielle Hunter to step up to the plate. Hunter is a high-upside rookie, but he clearly needs plenty of polishing before he can be expected to be a factor. Zimmer could easily mold him into a quality piece on the Vikings defense, but it’s hard to replace someone as reliable and unsung as Robison.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more updates regarding Robison’s injury. Outside of him, the Vikings do have pass rushing prowess on the roster in Anthony Barr, the defensive tackles, and the ever-explosive Everson Griffen.

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