The Vikings had just bowed out of the NFC divisional playoffs in January 2020 when Adam Thielen sat down with longtime personal trainer Ryan Englebert for their annual planning session. The item atop both of their lists: How to keep injuries like the hamstring strain that bothered Thielen through much of 2019 from becoming a regular occurrence.
Thielen first injured his hamstring on a touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins in a Week 7 win against the Lions, and would miss nearly two months after a pair of setbacks that prolonged his absence. He tried to return from the injury two weeks later against the Chiefs, but played just seven snaps before aggravating his leg, and would miss another four games, with his return date postponed by two weeks after another setback in a December outdoor practice.