Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks is currently on the injured reserve list after undergoing surgery on his shin last month, but the Vikings provided some encouraging news on him this week.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores said that there is some optimism that Hicks will return to the lineup sometime this season, according to Kevin Seiftert of ESPN. Flores added that Hicks has been in meetings and has been around the team facility.

Hicks has played in 10 games this season, and during that time, he has registered 87 tackles, a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, a couple of fumble recoveries, four passes defended and a defensive touchdown.

The 31-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Texas, was originally selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Eagles and was plagued by injuries during his time there, playing just one full campaign. In total, Hicks appeared in a grand total of 43 contests in Philadelphia, with his most productive year coming in 2016 when he recorded 85 tackles, a sack, five interceptions, a fumble recovery and 11 passes defended.

Hicks then joined the Arizona Cardinals for three years and posted much better numbers, racking up well over 100 tackles each year. His best campaign came in 2019, when he rattled off 150 stops, 1.5 sacks, three picks, a pair of forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and six passes defended.

Following Hicks’ tenure with the Cardinals, he linked up with the Vikings in 2022.

He played in all 17 games during his first season in Minnesota last year, finishing with 129 tackles, three sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and 10 passes defended.

The Vikings are 6-6 and will take on the Las Vegas Raiders next Sunday.

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