Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman is expected to miss Sunday’s home game against the Detroit Lions and could be out longer because of turf toe, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on Wednesday.
Cashman, 28, leads the Vikings (5-0) with 40 tackles and 334 defensive snaps (94 percent). He has started all five games and has two tackles for loss, one sack, four quarterback hits and five passes defensed.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday that Cashman injured the toe during the team’s victory over the New York Jets in London on Oct. 6. Minnesota had a bye last week. He didn’t think Cashman would need to be placed on injured reserve.
“Thought it was just sore leaving London, went through the bye week and we’ve established that’s what it is,” O’Connell said. “He’ll be day to day, week to week as he deals with that. We really don’t know yet, but don’t think it will be a long-term injury.”
Cashman signed a three-year contract with Minnesota in March as a free agent after he started 13 of 14 games for the Houston Texans in 2023 and made a career-high 106 tackles. He had played 30 games for the Texans in two seasons (2022-23) after injuries limited him to 14 games in three seasons (2019-21) with the Jets.
New York selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of the University of Minnesota. A native of Eden Prairie, Minn., Cashman has 221 career tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 17 QB hits, 13 passes defensed, three fumble recoveries and one interception in 49 games (26 starts).