BEREA, Ohio — There is no one in the NFL quite like star edge rusher Myles Garrett. He is unique in everything he does.
Just ask the Vikings, who had to face Garrett in joint practices with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday and Thursday.
“He’s a natural,” star receiver Justin Jefferson said. “Seeing how big he is, how fast he is, how explosive he is, is only going to make us better. We’re not going to see a Myles Garrett every week. When we go up against him in these joint practices and get really physical and do these one-on-one drills with him from one period to the next, it’s going to make our offensive line 20 times better.”
That’s exactly what head coach Kevin O’Connell was looking for when he introduced joint practices. He saw it as a chance for the Vikings to test themselves against someone else in the name of improvement.
This was clearly evident when star left tackle Christian Darrisaw and star right tackle Brian O’Neill had their hands full with Garrett.
“You know every single snap he can ruin the game,” O’Connell said. “He’s got all aspects of the pass rush down his sleeve, and I don’t think people talk enough about his instincts. He understands from his experiences what tools can be used against him to mitigate his impact a little bit. He’s prepared for that and he can play it well.”
Whether it was a lightning-fast rush off the edge or the superhuman power move at the point of attack, Garrett was dominant from the moment he stepped on the court.
“It’s obvious to me why he’s so good,” veteran quarterback Sam Darnold said. “It’s because he comes here and works his ass off.”
The Vikings also had to work really hard and got better in the process.
Addison shouldn’t miss much time
The good news for the Vikings is that receiver Jordan Addison does not appear to be out for long due to the ankle injury he sustained during joint practice.
“He’s going to go through the rehab process,” O’Connell said. “I’m looking forward to getting him back as soon as possible.”
As for fellow receiver Thayer Thomas, who suffered a serious head injury Wednesday afternoon, O’Connell said he is in concussion protocol and will not play in Saturday’s preseason game between the Vikings and Browns.
The most notable absence from Thursday afternoon’s practice was linebacker Blake Cashman. He suffered a finger injury that required stitches and is expected to be back in action once the injury has healed.
Vikings still talking to Gilmore
After the Vikings visited veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore earlier this week, they have stayed in touch and hope to sign him at some point.
Given the lack of depth at the cornerback position, the secondary could certainly use the help.
“We had a great visit with him,” O’Connell said. “He’s a guy we really respect. We’ll continue to stay in touch. Hopefully at some point we can figure out exactly what that’s going to look like, whether he’s going to be here or not, so we can make a plan for the future.”
As for veteran cornerback Shaq Griffin, who is battling a leg injury, O’Connell hinted that he could be ready to play sooner rather than later.
“We always thought the regular season was out of the question with this schedule,” O’Connell said. “It’s going to come down to when we can get back into the habit of playing football and increasing his reps.”
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