Breaking News out of last night’s Vikings-Broncos game in Denver: Vikings receiver Olabisi (Bisi) Johnson has suffered what appears to be a torn ACL, per reporter Tom Pelissero. He is out for the season.
After being drafted as a seventh-round pick in 2019, Johnson put together a nice rookie season and, following the Stefon Diggs trade, headed into 2020 as the WR2. However, Johnson got benched in Week 3 of that season and quickly became a forgotten name in Minnesota following the emergence of Justin Jefferson. Any chance he had at a bounceback year in 2021 was dashed when he suffered an ACL tear (in the other knee) during training camp.
New head coach Kevin O’Connell had heaped praise on Johnson during the offseason, calling him somebody who “deserves to be on our football team.” This offseason, Johnson was battling for the team’s WR4 role with second-year man Ihmir Smith-Marsette and rookie Jalen Nailor.
This is awful news for a young player who seemed to be improving and had a legitimate chance to make the Vikings’ 53-man roster. The Vikings receiver depth takes a hit with this loss, but players such as Smith-Marsette and Nailor should be able to fill this void. Feel better soon, Bisi, the Vikings will miss you.
