Vikings edge rusher Greenard to have season-ending shoulder surgery after making Pro Bowl last year

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard will have season-ending surgery on a left shoulder injury he aggravated in the game at Dallas, coach Kevin O’Connell announced Monday.

The Vikings (6-8) were eliminated from playoff contention before their 34-26 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday night.

Greenard missed two games last month with the injury before returning for the last two games. The 2024 Pro Bowl pick had a sack and three hits on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before he was hurt again in the fourth quarter during a fourth-down stop by the Vikings.

Though Greenard's sack total dropped from 12 last season to just three this year, his ability to generate quarterback pressure and stop the run continually set the tone for the defense. O'Connell called the 28-year-old Greenard a “foundational player.”

Left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who was inactive on Sunday for his fourth game missed this season, is still being assessed on a daily basis, with no plan to shut him down, O'Connell said. Swelling in his surgically repaired left knee last week kept Darrisaw from practicing.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL