Vikings Get Huge Update on LB Blake Cashman Ahead of Week 7
Coming out of their bye week, the Minnesota Vikings got some positive news on a key defensive starter. LB Blake Cashman, a former fifth-round pick of the Jets whom the Vikings signed in 2024, has been on Injured Reserve (IR) since Week 1 after sustaining a hamstring injury in the team’s Week 1 game against the Bears.
But in great news for the Vikings, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced during his Monday press conference that the team is opening the 21-day practice window for Cashman. When a player returns from IR, the team can activate a 21-day window during which the player can practice with the team, but does not count against an active roster spot until he’s ready to return to game action. The team can fully activated him at any time in that window, but if they don’t before the 21 days expire, the player reverts to IR and cannot be activated again that season.
“[I’m] also excited to open up Blake Cashman’s [practice] window, we’ll open [it] up today,” O’Connell said. “We’ll go out for some on-field work today to kinda get the week kicked off. …It’ll be great to get Cash back on the practice field, we’re opening that window up, and he’s done a heck of a job getting himself ready to go. And we’ll give him the week of preparation and see where he’s at towards the tail end of the week.”
O’Connell also announced that QB J.J. McCarthy, RT Brian O’Neill, G Donovan Jackson, and C Michael Jurgens all returned to practice on Monday after missing the Vikings‘ Week 5 game against the Browns in London.
LB Blake Cashman is Critical to the Minnesota Vikings Defense
Stephen Maturen/GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 29: Andrew Van Ginkel #43 and Blake Cashman #51 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrate after sacking Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 29, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
“I think a guy like Blake Cashman coming back is critical as well,” O’Connell said later in his press conference. “Because he assumes that ‘green dot’ position and we have just seen since we got Blake, when he is out there, and we’re playing the kind of defense we’re accustomed to seeing, Blake’s got a lot to do with it. So [we’re] very excited to get him back.”
The “green dot position” refers to a literal green dot sticker that one player on each side of the ball wears on the back of their helmet. Only one player for each team is allowed to wear one on the field on any given play, but the green dot designates which player is allowed to talk to the coaches on the sidelines through the helmet communication systems. On offense, that’s always the quarterback. On defense, it’s typically the middle linebacker, but it can also be a safety or other linebacker position.
For the Vikings defense, that player is Cashman. He’s responsible for getting the defense set, communicating the playcall to the rest of the unit, making sure everyone’s in the right spots, and calling out any audibles or adjustments based on what the offense is doing. More than just what he offers during the play, Minnesota is getting the quarterback of their defense back.
It’s a Good Time for the Minnesota Vikings to Get Healthy
While they aren’t quite dealing with the catastrophic level of injuries teams like the Ravens and 49ers are, the Vikings are maybe in a tier below that alongside the Chargers as teams that have still lost a lot. 10 combined Minnesota starters and the backups that replaced those starters were out or dealing with injuries in Week 5.
But now, the Vikings are getting some of those pieces back at the perfect time. Minnesota plays the Eagles, Chargers, and Lions over the next three weeks, and each team is currently 4-2. It’s a tough stretch, but the Vikings are getting back the manpower to handle it.
Red Sox Make Key Decision for 2026: Report


(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Alex Cora #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 18, 2025 in Chicago.
While it will not be an overhaul, and probably not the kind of major changes we saw last winter, this will be a busy offseason for the Red Sox, without a doubt. They’ll need more pitching. They’ll need more power. And they’ll need to decide what to do with Alex Bregman.
But coming into the winter, there will be stability at the top. Manager Alex Cora was always going to return for next season, his eighth as the team’s leader, after getting the Red Sox to 89 wins, the best showing since 2021. This weekend, too, it was reported that the Red Sox will have the coaching staff as a whole back.
As WEEI’s Rob Bradford wrote on Twitter/X: “Per sources, Red Sox hitting coach Pete Fatse, pitching coach Andrew Bailey, third base coach Kyle Hudson, first base coach Jose Flores, bullpen coach Chris Holt and bench coach Ramon Vazquez will all be returning.”
Not All Coaches Are Popular Choices
Certainly, there can be some quibbling with the Red Sox’s decision to bring back the entire crew there. Nobody ever likes the third-base coach, because the only time he gets noticed is when he makes mistakes. So there was some complaining about Hudson.
But for the most part, the staff did its job in 2025. At the plate, the Red Sox ranked fourth in batting average at .254 and eighth in on-base percentage at .324. They were ninth in slugging, at .421, but that’s mostly a front-office issue–there were not enough sluggers on the roster with the Triston Casas knee injury and the trade of Rafael Devers.
On the mound, Boston rated fifth in ERA overall, at 3.70, despite being just 17th with a 1.29 WHIP. More strikeouts and better defense will be on the 2026 agenda, but the results were good in 2025 nonetheless. The Red Sox had the second-best relief ERA in baseball, at 3.41.
Red Sox Optimistic on Team Direction
At the Red Sox’s season-ending press conference, Cora was optimistic about the future. The team dealt with a raft of pitching injuries throughout 2025, but saw an influx of young talent that should be able to anchor the team going forward.
“I think we took the steps in the right direction,” Cora said. “Last offseason, during the season, not only as far as what the front office did, but what we did on the field. It was a much better team than the last few years. But that thing that excites me going into the offseason is the pitching. … What we have in player development is real.”