Vikings Officially Place Justin Jefferson and Nick Mullens on IR, Sign 2 WRs to Active Roster
Josh Frey
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This weekend, the Minnesota Vikings were forced to finish their Week 5 game against the Kansas City Chiefs without star receiver Justin Jefferson.
It was revealed that Jefferson had suffered a hamstring injury during a play, and the ailment has been expected to land him on IR.
On Wednesday, the Vikings officially placed Jefferson on injured reserve, and he was joined by backup QB Nick Mullens, who did not suit up on Sunday because of a back injury.
Vikings Officially Place Justin Jefferson and Nick Mullens on IR
The Vikings announced the news themselves, tweeting, “The #Vikings have placed WR Justin Jefferson on IR. QB Nick Mullens has also been placed on IR and WRs N’Keal Harry and Trishton Jackson have been signed from the practice squad to the active roster.”
Now, officially, Jefferson cannot return to the field until at least Week 10 when the Vikings take on the New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The loss of Minnesota’s star receiver is obviously a massive blow, especially considering the Vikings are already sitting at 1-4 and have two divisional road games sandwiching a home matchup against the San Francisco 49ers over the next three weeks.
In response, the Vikings also decided to bring both N’Keal Harry and Trishton Jackson to the active roster. Both players have spent the early portion of the season and have been elevated from the practice squad in recent weeks. Keeping in mind that Minnesota had just three other wide receivers outside of Jefferson on the 53-man roster, they simply needed bodies at the position.
Meanwhile, Mullens placement on IR secures Jaren Hall’s spot as the Vikings backup QB moving forward. The rookie was drafted in the fifth-round out of BYU this spring after throwing for 3171 yards and 31 TDs with the Cougars in 2022.
This preseason, Hall appeared in all three exhibition games for Minnesota and made one start. In total, he completed 54.2% of his passes for 264 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. If anything were to happen to Kirk Cousins (whether injury or trade), the rookie is now the next man up on the depth chart.
The Vikings now proceed forward without Jefferson or Mullens as they prepare for their Week 6 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 PM on Sunday, October 15th at Soldier Field.
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.