Darrisaw, Smith 'will likely rotate on and off' the field Sunday, insider says

What would a rotation look like for Darrisaw? It likely means Walter Rouse or Blake Brandel replace him for spurts. Justin Skule is the No. 2 left tackle on the depth chart, but he's been ruled out with a concussion after making starts in Weeks 1 and 2 for Minnesota. Rouse is the third-string left tackle, though head coach Kevin O'Connell seemed to leave the door open for Brandel to get some action there when he was discussing Darrisaw's situation earlier in the week.

"We've got a plan in place, ultimately, that will allow us to feel like we can have the best group of guys out there," O'Connell said Friday. "For those particular set of circumstances, we're still working through, after getting a ton of really good reps, we're gonna slot that thing together, make sure we've got a plan for what the gameday looks like and we'll go from there."

Brandel has played some left tackle in his career, although not since 2022. Another option would be sliding rookie left guard Donovan Jackson to left tackle, where he played last season at Ohio State. In that case, Rouse is the odd man out while Brandell would replace Jackson at left guard.

Af for the rotation at safety with Smith returning, that's pretty simple. With Smith in the starting lineup next to fellow safety Josh Metellus, it gives Minnesota one of the best backup safeties in the league in Theo Jackson.

The Vikings and Bengals get started at 12 p.m. CT.

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