Kene Nwangwu suffers hyperextended knee against Broncos

Rookie running back Kene Nwangwu was slated to get extensive work for the Minnesota Vikings in their preseason opener against the Denver Broncos. Unfortunately, he was sidelined early in the game with a knee issue, and now we know the extent of it.

Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that Nwangwu suffered a hyperextended left knee on the opening kickoff of the game that put him out for the afternoon. The team is hopeful that he will be ready for the regular season opener, as it sounds like he will miss the team’s two remaining preseason contests.

Nwangwu was one of the Vikings’ fourth-round picks in this past April’s draft after his college career at Iowa State. While he did not get a lot of carries for the Cyclones, he does have extensive return experience, and it was expected that he would push for that job at the very least this preseason.

Nwangwu’s injury opened the door for undrafted rookie free agent A.J. Rose Jr., who wound up putting together the Vikings’ first 100-yard performance in a preseason game since Joe Banyard in 2014 (thanks to Tomasson for that tidbit as well).

Unfortunately, this means we won’t be getting a look at one of the Vikings’ more exciting young rookies until Week 1 at the earliest. Here’s hoping that his return timetable is correct and we’re able to see him get on the field as soon as possible.