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Vikings DE Marcus Davenport Facing Multi-Week Absence

October 17th, 2023 at 9:19am CST by Adam La Rose

Marcus Davenport‘s Vikings tenure has run into renewed injury trouble. The veteran edge rusher is dealing with a high ankle sprain and is likely facing a four-to-six week absence as a result, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The news makes Davenport a candidate to be placed on injured reserve, something which would sideline him for at least four weeks. The 27-year-old was limited to just four snaps across Minnesota’s first three games this season, his first with the Vikings. Davenport inked a one-year, $13MM deal including $10MM guaranteed in free agency.

That pact resulted in high expectations for the former Saints first-rounder, who has contributed when healthy in 2023. Davenport posted one sack in each of his two full games, adding four quarterback hits and a pair of tackles for loss in that span. The injury suffered during Minnesota’s Week 6 win over the Bears forced him to be carted off the field, though, and it threatens to cost him signficant time through the middle portion of the campaign.

The Vikings entrusted Davenport with a starting role to help offset the Za’Darius Smith trade and provide a complimentary presence to Danielle Hunter. The latter was mentioned in frequent trade speculation this offseason, but he ultimately signed a revised one-year pact which provided a raise compared to his original 2023 compensation. Both Hunter (who has his own track record of lengthy injury-induced absences) and Davenport are set to hit free agency in March, so an extended stretch without the pair in place could hinder not only the team’s edge rush but also their respective markets come the spring.

Hunter has posted a league-leading eight sacks so far, but Minnesota will need to find a new bookend for at least the short term while Davenport (who was unable to play a full season in any of his five years in New Orleans) recovers. Former fourth-rounder D.J. Wonnum – who ranks tied for second amongst Vikings edge rushers with two sacks – could be in line for an increased workload with Davenport not in the fold. Minnesota also has 2021 third-rounder Patrick Jones and undrafted rookie Andre Carter in place as depth options in the pass-rush department.

Latest On Justin Jefferson, Kirk Cousins; Vikings Audition Colt McCoy

October 15th, 2023 at 8:40am CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 15: In a full-length piece, Schefter reiterates his earlier point that Jefferson could miss the rest of the season if the Vikings are out of contention by the time he is healthy enough to return to the field. From a purely medical perspective, Jefferson stands to miss up to six weeks, and he will undergo imaging tests in four weeks’ time to determine his status.

OCTOBER 12: After going three-plus seasons without missing a game, Justin Jefferson is set to miss at least four. After a hamstring injury in Week 5, the Vikings placed the superstar wide receiver on IR. A few factors could determine Jefferson’s true return timetable.

The Vikings do not expect this injury to require more than the four-week minimum, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport; that would give Jefferson a Week 11 reentrance stage. Kevin O’Connell said (via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Ben Goessling) the team does not view this as a season-ending injury, though the second-year HC labeled it “significant” in nature. While hamstring injuries present potential for aggravation, they are rarely deemed as season-threatening maladies — at least, not at this point on the calendar. That said, both Keenan Allen and Darren Waller missed large chunks of last season due to hamstring ailments.

[RELATED: Jets Not Looking Into Trading For Cousins]

Jefferson’s summer contract talks may also play into this. After an early-summer report indicated the Vikings were fine tabling these negotiations to 2024, the team attempted a late push to extend the record-setting pass catcher before Week 1. These talks went up against the season opener but did not produce a deal. Despite T.J. Hockenson signing a monster tight end extension, the Vikings have their best player in Year 4 of a rookie contract. Although no team has picked up a wide receiver’s fifth-year option and extended him with two years of control remaining, the Vikings appeared close to breaking this precedent with Jefferson.

The team not doing so opens the door to the wideout playing this cautiously and, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter noted, the Vikes’ record by the time Jefferson is moving closer to a return could factor into these proceedings. After turning a negative point differential into a 13-4 season, the Vikings are 1-4 and potentially staring at some decisions before the trade deadline. The team already cut ties with a few veterans this offseason — Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, Za’Darius Smith — and has other names to monitor ahead of the deadline. Danielle Hunter is in a contract year, and Harrison Smith took a pay cut this offseason. Both Pro Bowlers would appeal to other teams, should the Vikings become serious about selling.

Regarding Jefferson’s contract situation, it is unlikely his value would diminish if he aggravated this short-term injury by coming back too soon. The 2020 first-rounder will enter the offseason in position to command an extension that separates him from his peers, presenting the Vikings with a potentially challenging negotiation. Jefferson’s stats will obviously take a hit this year, but a secure long-term outlook will allow him to take his time in recovering, especially if the team remains under .500 when he is due back.

Kirk Cousins could theoretically join Smith and Hunter as a high-profile trade chip, being unsigned beyond this season and agreeing to an offseason restructure that dropped his 2023 base salary to $10MM. But the sixth-year Vikings starter holds a no-trade clause. He has indicated several times he would prefer to stay in Minnesota and did not address the topic (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert) when asked if he would waive his clause to be moved this season.

The Vikings cannot realistically tag Cousins in 2024, due to the two Washington tags that led him to the Twin Cities in 2018, giving the team an interesting scenario with its longtime starter. Cousins, 35, can set himself up for yet another payday by playing well this season. With the QB not expecting to discuss another contract until after the season, the Vikes will soon find themselves in a time crunch. Jefferson’s absence stands to impact this, however, and it will be interesting to see if Cousins adjusts his stance if the Vikes continue to stumble.

Cousins reaching the market would put him in position for a fourth lucrative contract, and ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano notes an AFC exec mentioned Derek Carr‘s $37.5MM-per-year Saints deal as a good comp for Cousins. Then again, Cousins has posted better numbers than Carr and has navigated the financial landscape about as well as anyone in NFL history. But the ex-fourth-rounder will be going into his age-36 season in 2024, limiting his value to some degree. This process will put the Vikings to a decision, as Cousins’ abilities may lead to the team winning enough games to move out of realistic range to nab a replacement near the top of the draft.

The Vikings used a fifth-round pick on Jaren Hall in April; as of now, the BYU product is Cousins’ backup. Nick Mullens moved to IR on Wednesday, and ex-Cousins backup Sean Mannion returned to the practice squad. Prior to reacquiring Mannion, the Vikings worked out Colt McCoy, GOPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer tweets. McCoy, 37, has been a free agent since the Cardinals released him just before the season. While he was connected to both the Patriots and Jets recently, the journeyman backup is still unattached.

Vikings Not Expected To Trade Kirk Cousins

October 14th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Vikings appear destined to become sellers at the trade deadline with a 1-4 record and star receiver Justin Jefferson on injured reserve. Even if the team is out of contention by the October 31 trade deadline, though, a deal involving quarterback Kirk Cousins should not be considered likely.

The four-time Pro Bowler is expected to remain in place through the 2023 season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Cousins would need to waive his no-trade clause for any deal sending him (and his expiring contract) out of Minnesota to be possible, and that remains highly unlikely at this point. He declined to offer a firm response regarding his long-term future with the franchise when speaking publicly about his situation, but it would not come as a surprise to see him play out the campaign in familiar territory.

Cousins has been with the Vikings since 2018, but his status beyond 2023 has been in doubt since it was learned extension talks would not take place until after the season. Both the team and the 35-year-old have expressed interest in continuing their relationship, and no clear-cut successor is in place on the Vikings’ roster. However, the team’s ability to turn a slew of one-score wins into a division title last season has not been replicated in 2023, and Jefferson’s hamstring injury will keep him out until at least Week 11. It remains to be seen how competitive Minnesota will be by that point.

Due to a restructure from this past offseason, Cousins carries a base salary of just $10MM this year, which would make his contract a fairly absorbable one. As Schefter notes, however, the “perfect storm” would need to be in place – essentially, a team with a familiar offense losing its starter to a major injury – for Cousins to reconsider his stance. The Jets’ season took an unexpected turn when Aaron Rodgers suffered an Achilles tear four snaps into his New York career, leading to speculation connecting them to Cousins.

No trade talk is believed to have taken place between the Vikings and Jets, though, and the latter squad remains committed to Zach Wilson under center. Projected buyers ahead of the upcoming deadline have a well-established signal-caller, and teams with uncertainty at the QB position are highly unlikely to have a desire to acquire Cousins for the second half of the campaign. The latter’s market could thus be limited regardless of how he and the Vikings fare in the near future.

Jefferson’s status will be worth watching with respect to the urgency the team shows in bringing him back considering their projected dire status in the standings when he is able to return. His pending mega-extension represents another complicating factor is his desire to come back to their field in what could be a lost season. Jefferson will, in all likelihood, at least have a familiar face at the QB spot if/when he next suits up, though.

Latest On Jets WR Mecole Hardman

October 12th, 2023 at 9:08pm CST by Ben Levine

Earlier this week, we heard the Jets were “exploring” their options with rarely-used wideout Mecole Hardman, including potential trades. ESPN’s Rich Cimini was more definitive about Hardman’s future in New York, stating during an appearance on the Flight Deck Podcast that the receiver was “going to be gone” (h/t Paul Andrew Esden Jr.).

[RELATED: Jets WR Mecole Hardman On Trade Block?]

Cimini adds that New York will ultimately “trade him or cut him,” but the organization intends to do Hardman a “solid” by sending him to a team that could offer a clear path to playing time. The reporter also noted that the receiver is “clearly disgruntled” and has done some complaining behind the scenes, so it may be in the Jets’ best interest to resolve this in a timely manner.

Hardman recently spoke about his situation to reporters, telling them that he simply wants to play, whether for the Jets or another organization (via Cimini). The receiver also revealed that he hasn’t requested a trade. Meanwhile, Robert Saleh said the team will continue to find ways to utilize Hardman until he hears otherwise.

“He’s here, he’s working, competing, and until someone upstairs says otherwise, we we’re going to do our best to try to find ways to get him involved,” the head coach told reporters (via Cimini).

Hardman joined the Jets this offseason following a four-year stint with the Chiefs. The free agent was one of several receivers to join the new-look offense, but thanks in part to Aaron Rodgers‘ season-ending injury, Hardman has seen a lesser role than expected. The 25-year-old has hauled in a single catch and has been limited to 22 offensive snaps, and he also hasn’t been used in the return game, an area where he’s previously excelled. The Jets added Irvin Charles to the active roster earlier this week, giving the team seven wide receivers.

We haven’t heard of any definitive suitors for Hardman, but plenty of teams should have interest. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes that the Raiders, Lions, Vikings, and Browns were among the teams that expressed interest in Hardman during the offseason, and the reporter notes that a reunion with the Chiefs could also be an option.

Vikings Place Nick Mullens On IR, Bring Back Sean Mannion; Kene Nwangwu Designated For Return

October 11th, 2023 at 1:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to making the Justin Jefferson IR move official, the Vikings made a few more notable transactions Wednesday. The team now has a familiar face back in the quarterback room.

Sean Mannion is returning on a practice squad deal, the team announced. Kirk Cousins‘ on-again, off-again backup spent last season on the Seahawks’ practice squad but has not been with a team since January. The team also moved Cousins’ current backup, Nick Mullens, to IR.

Mullens is battling a back injury, one that kept him from dressing in Week 5. The former 49ers spot starter has been with the Vikings for the past two seasons, arriving as an August 2022 trade acquisition and backing up Cousins last season. Minnesota re-signed the seventh-year veteran to a two-year, $4MM contract in March. This move will drop Mullens off the 53-man roster for at least four weeks.

Mannion, 31, spent the better part of three seasons with the Vikings. Initially signing with Minnesota after his Rams rookie contract expired in 2019, Mannion operated as Cousins’ backup from 2019-20. While Mannion signed with the Seahawks in August 2021, he ended up back in place as Cousins’ top reserve — over third-rounder Kellen Mond, who quickly wore out his welcome with the team — soon after. The Vikings released Mannion in August 2022, going with Mullens after the Browns trade.

These transactions leave Cousins and fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall as the only QBs on Minnesota’s 53-man roster. Mannion would make sense as an elevation for Week 6, seeing as he has spent extensive time in this role. That said, Mannion was Minnesota’s QB2 before Kevin O’Connell‘s arrival. The ex-Jared Goff St. Louis/Los Angeles QB2 did play under former O’Connell Rams coworker Shane Waldron in Seattle. This is basically a moot point, as Cousins as not missed a game due to injury in his six Vikings seasons.

The Vikings also designated running back/kick returner Kene Nwangwu for return from IR. Nwangwu hit IR shortly after cutdown day. The third-year back has been Minnesota’s kick returner for the past two seasons. The Iowa State product already has three kick-return touchdowns since debuting; he finished as a second-team All-Pro last season. Only one other player — Nyheim Hines — has more than one kick-return TD since 2021, highlighting the upgrade the Vikes’ special teams could receive once Nwangwu is activated. The Vikings, who have not used any IR activations this season, have three weeks to activate the 25-year-old specialist.

To wrap this brigade of Wednesday Minnesota moves, the team signed N’Keal Harry to the active roster from its practice squad. The former Patriots first-rounder has played in two games as a P-squad elevation. The team also signed receiver Trishton Jackson from its P-squad. Tight end Troy Fumagalli and wideout Dan Chisena will join Mannion in catching on with the team’s taxi squad.

Vikings To Place Justin Jefferson On IR

October 10th, 2023 at 9:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

The hamstring injury Justin Jefferson suffered in Week 5 will sideline him for an extended stretch. The Vikings wideout will be placed on injured reserve, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

As a result of the move, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year will be shut down for at least the next four weeks. The Vikings will use the IR designation to ensure Jefferson has a sufficient period to heal in full and avoid a rushed recovery which could lead to a setback. Still, the news marks a crippling blow to the 1-4 team’s offense and overall prospects for the season.

“We’re going to have to medically make a good decision and help almost protect him from himself a little bit in a way where we’ve got to take care of him and get him back to 100 percent,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, when asked about Jefferson’s prognosis and how the team would proceed with his recovery.

The 24-year-old, as expected, has had a highly productive start to the 2023 season. Jefferson currently ranks seventh in the NFL in catches (36) and third in yards (571) through five contests. He will now be sidelined for the first time in his career, after availability during his first three seasons helped him break the all-time record for the most receiving yards during that opening stretch of a player’s pro tenure. Replacing the LSU product will be a notable challenge for Minnesota.

Jefferson has drawn the fourth-most targets in the league (53), and O’Connell admitted the team’s offense is founded in very large part on the former first-rounder. With Jefferson no longer in the picture for the time being, the workload for first-round rookie Jordan Addison and former fifth-rounder K.J. Osborn will increase. The former has posted a 19-243-3 statline so far despite seeing the field for only 67% of offensive snaps. An uptick in playing time should yield a continuation of his encouraging start in the NFL. Of course, recently-extended tight end T.J. Hockenson will also be in line to see more targets in his first full campaign in Minnesota.

The Vikings have expressed confidence in their ability to rebound from an 0-3 start, making it clear that a seller’s status ahead of the October 31 trade deadline was not in the cards. As a result, consideration has not been given to finding a deal for quarterback Kirk Cousins to be sent elsewhere (something which would require the 35-year-old, who is in the final year of his contract, waiving his no-trade clause). It will be interesting to see if that mindset changes as the team now faces a stretch of three out of four games on the road – the lone exception being against the 5-0 49ers.

For Jefferson, an extended layoff could have an effect on his bargaining position in the offseason. He and the Vikings held extension talks in the offseason, but a deal – one which will likely make him the league’s highest-paid receiver – could not be finalized. Negotiations are now on hold until the spring, and having a signficant injury on his resume could hurt Jefferson’s leverage to a degree. The 2025 fifth-year option is in place for him, in any event, and his historic production when on the field will no doubt still land him a massive second contract. For the time being, though, he will be absent as the Vikings look to find a new recipe for offensive production.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/10/23

October 10th, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Released: WR Xavier Malone

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: FB Jack Colletto

Anthony Firkser will provide the Lions with some veteran tight end depth. Darrell Daniels has mostly transitioned to a fullback role and James Mitchell is sidelined with a hamstring injury, leaving Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright as the two healthy TEs on the roster. Firkser has seen time in 69 regular season games, hauling in 115 catches for 1,207 yards and five touchdowns. The 28-year-old tight end got into 11 games for the Falcons in 2022, finishing with nine catches for 100 yards.

Yodny Cajuste is back in New York after getting cut by the Jets back in August. The former third-round pick got into 17 games (five starts) for the Patriots between the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was waived by New England back in May before catching on with the Jets for the preseason.

NFC Injury Updates: Zavala, Jefferson, Jones

October 8th, 2023 at 8:43pm CST by Ely Allen

The Panthers experienced a scare when starting left guard Chandler Zavala collapsed on the field and remained facedown after experiencing a neck injury in today’s loss to the Lions. The team’s medical staff placed him on a backboard, and as he was carted off the field, Zavala gave the stadium a thumbs-up.

The rookie fourth-round starter was taken immediately to a hospital where he was alert, responsive, and had movement in all his extremities. He underwent several tests, all of which came back well, was released from the hospital, and rejoined his teammates at the airport to return to Charlotte with the team, according to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt.

In Zavala’s absence, second-year guard Cade Mays finished out the game at left guard. If Zavala’s neck injury forces him to miss any additional time, Mays will likely have an opportunity to prove his worth as a consistent starter after only starting two games his rookie year.

Here are a few other injury updates from today:

  • Early in the fourth quarter of today’s loss to the Dolphins, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was knocked out of the game with a neck injury. This was cause for concern in New York, knowing that Jones missed the final six weeks of the 2021 season with a neck injury. While not an official diagnosis, head coach Brian Daboll relayed that Jones had told him after the game that he would be okay, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan informed that Jones had negative X-rays at the stadium and would undergo an MRI tomorrow for an accurate diagnosis.
  • Late in the Vikings loss to the Chiefs, star wide receiver Justin Jefferson exited the game with a hamstring injury after slipping on the field. After what appeared to be a pep talk with his young wideout, head coach Kevin O’Connell told the media that it’s “still very early” to establish a timeline for Jefferson’s return, according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, seemingly putting some doubt on the All-Pro’s status moving forward.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/7/23

October 7th, 2023 at 6:46pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the day’s minor transactions heading into Week 5:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Elevated: WR Xavier Malone

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/5/23

October 5th, 2023 at 5:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

  • Signed: OL Xavier Newman-Johnson
  • Released: OL Adam Pankey

This will be a bit of a homecoming for quarterback Tanner Morgan, who played college ball at the University of Minnesota. Morgan had a breakout campaign in 2019, finishing with 30 touchdowns, but he only had a combined 26 passing touchdowns between 2020 and 2022. As a result, the QB went undrafted in this year’s draft, and following a preseason stint with the Steelers, he’ll now be joining the Vikings’ quarterbacks room.

Vikings backup QB Nick Mullens is dealing with a back injury that kept him out of practice today. Morgan will temporarily slide into the QB3 role behind Kirk Cousins and fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall.

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