Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie wasn’t the only player forced out of a practice because of injury on Thursday.
The Vikings also sent kicker Blair Walsh to the sideline after he felt a “little bit of a twinge” in his left hamstring while practicing kickoffs. Coach Leslie Frazier said that the team was hopeful that Walsh’s injury was not particularly serious after an initial evaluation by the medical staff.
“We just shut him down,” Frazier said, via Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “Precautionary. So we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. I think he’ll be fine, based on what [head athletic trainer] Eric Sugarman said. He should be fine. Just want to be smart.”
Walsh is 8-of-9 on field goals this season, including two makes on two tries beyond 50 yards. Walsh is now 12-of-12 from 50-plus in his brief career and holds the Vikings’ record for most makes from that distance after 21 games.
That kind of accuracy from long range won’t be a strong suit of anyone on the team’s emergency kicker list, which is exactly why the Vikings have their fingers crossed that they won’t have to use it.