Vikings' Jerry Tillery reportedly avoids significant injury

Tillery received good news on Sunday and it seems like he wont be out for long.

Jerry Tillery / Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings signed free agent defensive tackle Jerry Tillery to a one-year, $2.75 million contract this offseason. His first few months in Minnesota seem to be going well, but an apparent leg injury at practice on Saturday took him out of action and raised significant concerns after he was taken off the field on a gold cart.

As serious as it seemed at the time, the former Las Vegas Raiders DT was reportedly cleated in the leg during Saturday's practice and avoided anything significant.

News on DT Jerry Tillery from the Vikings: He was cleated in the leg yesterday and it does not appear to be a significant injury. Probably hurt like crazy though

— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) August 4, 2024

Minnesota is relatively thin along the interior of the defensive line with Harrison Phillips, seventh-round rookie Levi Drake Rodriguez and former fifth-round pick Jaquelin Roy, but Tillery is a projected starter.

Tillery was the No. 28 overall selection in the 2019 draft by the Chargers. He has struggled to put things together in the NFL, but he is coming off his best season in 2023, earning a career-high 67.7 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade with the Raiders.

He is still only 27 years old and the Vikings opting to bring him in as a free agent was a relatively low-risk, high-reward move.