Explosive Vikings Kick Returner Returns to Practice with Bears Looming in Week 6
Since the beginning of the season, the Minnesota Vikings have been missing one key player for their special teams unit: kick returner Kene Nwangwu.
The explosive Vikings playmaker has been on IR since Week 1 with an undisclosed injury that forced him to miss much of training camp.
However, Nwangwu was back at practice on Wednesday for the first time during the regular season. On the Vikings injury report, he was listed as a full participant with a back injury.
Explosive Vikings Kick Returner Returned to Practice
Nwangwu was selected by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. During his first two NFL seasons, he served as the main man at the kick returner spot in Minnesota, bringing back 53 kicks for a total of 1499 yards as well as 3 kick return TDs. He led the league in 2021 in that department with 2.
In other injury news for the Vikings, the team seems to have another injury at the wide receiver position. Hours after Justin Jefferson went to IR, it was revealed that Jordan Addison was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury.
The rookie wide receiver has been a strong secondary option behind Jefferson over the first five weeks of the season, catching 19 passes for 249 yards and 3 TDs. The assumption was that he would become one of Minnesota’s main pass-catchers with Jefferson sidelined, so hopefully, the injury isn’t too serious.
Here is a look at all the names on the Vikings Wednesday injury report:
- WR Jordan Addison (Ankle, Limited)
- S Lewis Cine (Hamstring, Full)
- OLB Marcus Davenport (Elbow, Limited)
- CB Akayleb Evans (Knee, Limited)
- RB Kene Nwangwu (Back, Full)
There is a notable absence from this list: Garrett Bradbury. The Vikings starting center made his return to the field in Week 5 after missing three consecutive games with a back injury, playing 71 snaps with the offense.
Bradbury did need to leave Sunday’s game for one play, but the fact that Minnesota did not feel the need to put him on the injury report bodes well for him to make another start in Week 6 against Chicago.
Meanwhile, both Marcus Davenport and Akayleb Evans were limited on the defensive side of the ball. Davenport has been listed for the first five weeks with an ankle injury, but it appears he is now dealing with an elbow. Evans had to sit out a good portion of Sunday’s game with his knee injury, being replaced by rookie Mekhi Blackmon.
The Vikings will release two more injury reports on Thursday and Friday before taking the field against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, October 15th. Kickoff at Soldier Field is scheduled for 12 PM.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.