That was one of many things pointed out by ‘one of us’ insider Tom Pelissero (NFL Network), during his weekly appearance on the Power Trip Morning Show (KFAN) on Thursday.

Among other topics, the trusted NFL insider (and Edina native) tried to shed some positive light on Sunday’s matchup against the Lions, where the Vikings are currently +8.5 point underdogs. He also set some trade deadline expectations. Hint: Don’t expect anything but don’t rule anything out, either.

Jonathan Greenard gives away injury status for Sunday vs Lions

Pelissero’s most important radio contribution this morning came at the very end of his 15-minute appearance, when the Power Trip crew brought on their next guest of the morning — Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard — on the air just as the renowned NFL insider was about to hang up.

Before he did, Tom got a little work in. Greenard was “limited “Limited” on Minnesota’s practice report Wednesday, after leaving week 8 vs the Chargers early due to an ankle injury. So, Pelissero asked what any good investigative journalist would, given the situation. He asked if Jonathan will be a go for Sunday.

Jonathan Greenard is good to go on Sunday, he revealed Thursday on @PowerTripKFAN. That @TomPelissero, always on the clock…

Tom: "How's that ankle, Jonathan, you good to go this week? Let's get something here."

Jon: "For sure, yeah I'm not missing that. Come on, it's Detroit.… pic.twitter.com/W3BCYPgLfP

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 30, 2025

Pelissero: “How’s that ankle, Jonathan, you good to go this week? Let’s get something here.”

Greenard: “For sure, yeah I’m not missing that. Come on, it’s Detroit. You know I’m not missing that.”

Power Trip Morning Show – KFAN (10/30/2025)

Related: Insider Names Two Vikings Vets as Key Trade Chips

This is big news for a Minnesota Vikings team that needs absolutely every weapon in their arsenal available, if they are going to stand any chance at beating the Detroit Lions, who at 5-2, enter this weekend looking up at the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North Standings.

Minnesota Vikings desperately need to win vs Lions

In other words, they won’t be taking this matchup lightly, so the Vikings will have to be healthy and locked in. Then, they will need their quarterback JJ McCarthy — who is starting his third game in the NFL and first since week 2 — to be better than competent.

We won’t know how ready for the moment Minnesota’s redshirt rookie QB will be. Thankfully, it sounds like Jonathan Greenard, along with Christian Darrisaw, Brian O’Neill and Andrew Van Ginkel could all realistically return for duty by Sunday at noon.

We’ll soon find out whether the return of all these starters will be enough for the Vikings to stand up to yet another formidable Lions squad. Without a doubt, both teams need this one. But the road team needs it so much more.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell will very likely look back at this offseason when reflecting on their careers, and it will largely be indicative of how their tenure with the Minnesota Vikings plays out. If the time spent in Minnesota brings back happy memories, then they’ll need this offseason to result in something close to a resounding success.

ESPN knocks Minnesota Vikings offseason

Needing to turn the page on both last season and the quarterback position, there was plenty of opportunity to scrutinize Minnesota’s decisions this offseason. ESPN’s Seth Walder went after the Vikings pretty good giving it a C-, and ranking it 3rd worst (30th) of 32 teams.

Minnesota Vikings: C-

At first blush the team’s move to surrender a future second-round pick to move up from 42 to 23 seemed odd. What Minnesota gave up was worth more than what it got back — but the assumption was that it was part of a larger package with the No. 11 pick to trade up into the early part of the first round for a quarterback. When it became apparent that wasn’t the case, the move looked illogical.

Seth Walder – ESPN

Related: Christian Darrisaw Blown Away by How Good Dallas Turner is Already

Combining the decision to acquire a second first round pick, while also moving up to 17 in order to draft Dallas Turner, Walder wasn’t a fan of the value lost at all. While J.J. McCarthy didn’t force them to jump into the top three, Minnesota didn’t grab a quarterback from that tier either.

…later in the first round, the team traded a ton of value to move up from 23 to 17 for Turner. It was a very pricey trade in its own right, but if we consider the entire move from 42 to 17 and combine the two trades, it was an overwhelming price to pay.

Seth Walder – ESPN

Also knocked for signing Shaquill Griffin, noting that the Vikings will lose out on a compensatory pick because of it, doesn’t sit well with Walder. He called that decision an “egregious error.” Of course, this is up for debate.

What did the Minnesota Vikings get right?

A C- grade insinuates that the Minnesota Vikings weren’t far off from being simply average. With plenty of negatives thrown out already, Walder turned his focus to the signing of edge rusher Jonathan Greenard.

After noting Justin Jefferson’s contract as a positive too, Walder admitted to loving the Greenard signing too, “I also loved the signing of Greenard, who posted strong pass rush and run stop win rates last season, especially considering that he was cheaper than Danielle Hunter.”

Johnathan Greenard has one of the best spin moves in the NFL pic.twitter.com/egjutrShNu

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) July 13, 2022

Related: ESPN Suggests Vikings Upgraded at EDGE by Signing Jonathan Greenard over Danielle Hunter

Of course Greenard is coming in to replace Hunter, and the production he provides will be an immediate barometer as to how well that move worked out. With Hunter and Greenard simply swapping defensive lines, the pair will be linked throughout the duration of their new deals.