The Minnesota Vikings head to Lambeau Field on Sunday with Kirk Cousins back under center for the first time since Week 8 back in 2024, and they’ll need to navigate the game without being at full strength on defense. Minnesota is trying to stop a two-game skid in a noon kickoff against the Green Bay Packers, but the injury list has already complicated the plan.
Josh Metellus was added late in the week, Blake Cashman has been ruled out with a concussion, and defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins will also miss the game after sitting out practice all week with the ankle injury he picked up against the Bills. That absence opens the door for Caleb Banks, the Vikings’ 2026 first-round pick, who was a healthy scratch in Monday’s loss to Buffalo.
Banks’ benching drew attention because of the chatter around new general manager Nolan Teasley, who reportedly is not a fan of Banks since the rookie was drafted before he was hired. On Friday, Kevin O’Connell was asked whether the decision to sit Banks was football-related. He said it was, and then made it clear the rookie’s role is about to grow.
“Yeah, he’ll be up and he’s going to play a ton this week. I think a lot of times for specifically just his journey from pre-draft, post-draft, it’s a lot.
And it was a football decision based upon what the defensive coaches thought was best for that game. But he’s absolutely going to be a huge part this week and will be continuously moving forward.
For sure.”
Banks was taken 18th overall on April 23 after playing at Louisville and Florida, where a foot injury limited him to three games in 2025. At 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds, he’s been part of the rotation this season, though not in a major way yet. Through seven games, Banks has logged 107 defensive snaps with no starts, 12 tackles and no sacks, playing about 25% of Minnesota’s defensive snaps.
His biggest workload came in Week 2 at Chicago, when he was on the field for 36 snaps, or 49%, and finished with six tackles. Among Vikings defensive linemen, only Elijah Williams has played fewer snaps this season.
Williams was active in Banks’ place against Buffalo, and on the unofficial depth chart Banks sits behind Jalen Redmond while Williams is listed behind Ingram-Dawkins. Minnesota hasn’t said exactly who will absorb Ingram-Dawkins’ snaps on Sunday, but O’Connell’s comments made it clear Banks is expected to be a major part of the answer. He already saw action against Green Bay once this year, playing 16 snaps in the Vikings’ 39-22 win at home in Week 1.
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Vikings Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than This Loss
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