Blake Cashman is entering his second season with his hometown team, but the Twin Cities native appears an IR candidate after a Week 1 injury.
A starter since signing a three-year Vikings deal in 2024, Cashman is expected to miss “several” weeks due to a hamstring injury sustained Monday night, per the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Ben Goessling. The off-ball linebacker left Monday’s game in the third quarter.
Caleb Williams‘ 13-yard scramble included Cashman pulling up while giving chase. An Eden Prairie, Minn., native who played at the University of Minnesota, Cashman had been mostly a special-teamer until being called upon for regular defensive duty with the Texans in 2023. That garnered Cashman a nice FA market, and he signed a three-year, $22.5MM deal. The Broncos, Falcons, Packers and Steelers also showed interest last year.
Last season, Cashman started all 14 Vikings games he played. Working as a key part of Brian Flores‘ complex defense, Cashman established new career-high marks in tackles (112), tackles for loss (eight), QB hits (11) and sacks (4.5). Cashman also notched eight passes defensed, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 22 overall ILB. The 29-year-old defender did miss time with turf toe, however, and he will almost definitely be down for the foreseeable future due to this hamstring malady.
Minnesota plugged veteran Eric Wilson into Cashman’s spot on defense, and while the team rallied back from a two-score deficit to score a Week 1 win in Chicago, Cashman’s absence will sting. The Vikings have sixth-round rookie Kobe King and rookie UDFA Austin Keys behind Wilson at ILB. Wilson, 30 this month, is a 39-game starter. Beginning his career with the Vikings under Mike Zimmer, Wilson has bounced around since. He spent the past three seasons in Green Bay, making 12 starts for last year’s Packers edition.