Vikings Offensive Lineman Sat Out of Thursday’s Practice
The Minnesota Vikings improved to 2-4 with their victory over the Chicago Bears, and now, they await a Monday night matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7.
Meanwhile, the 49ers are coming off a loss to the Cleveland Browns last weekend. It was their first loss of the season, and they now stand at 5-1 on the year.
Ahead of that game, the Vikings had some bad injury news regarding OLB Marcus Davenport, whose ankle sprain last weekend landed him on IR. More bad news came in on Thursday as Vikings offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland sat out of Thursday’s practice while dealing with a foot injury suffered last week.
Vikings Offensive Lineman Sat Out of Thursday’s Practice
Here is a look at the full Vikings injury report from Thursday:
- LG Ezra Cleveland (Foot, DNP)
- CB Akayleb Evans (Oblique, Limited)
- OLB Pat Jones (Shoulder, Limited)
- WR Jalen Nailor (Hamstring, Limited)
Cleveland has been one of the biggest surprises for this Vikings team all season. Typically, he has been known as sufficient run-blocking guard with some iffy moments in pass protection throughout his career.
However, 2023 has seen a complete resurgence from the Vikings left guard in pass protection. Among guards to play at least 50% of a team’s pass-blocking snaps this season, Cleveland has been graded as the 12th-best in the NFL by PFF at 72.3.
Luckily for the Vikings, they have been prepared for this exact scenario. The team signed Dalton Risner a few weeks back (after months of speculation), and when Cleveland suffered his injury on Sunday, he stepped in to finish the game.
Elsewhere on the injury report, there was some positive news for Minnesota. WR Jalen Nailor had his practice window opened this week after spending four weeks on IR because of a hamstring injury. The receiver was able to practice in a limited fashion on Thursday, and with Justin Jefferson remaining on IR, he could be in line for his first snaps with the offense.
Nailor was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by Minnesota out of Michigan State. During his rookie season he caught 9 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. He has been known as a speedy deep threat since his time with the Spartans.
RB Kene Nwangwu was also absent from Thursday’s injury report, indicating that he is ready to take his first snaps of 2023 after spending the first six weeks on IR. The explosive kick returner has been one of the best at the position since entering the league, returning three kicks for touchdowns over his first two seasons.
The Vikings and 49ers will release two more injury reports on Friday and Saturday prior to their showdown at U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 PM Central on October, 23rd.
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.