Final Vikings Injury Report: Eric Kendricks Good to Go vs. Seahawks
After not practicing on Wednesday and Thursday with a foot injury, Vikings middle linebacker Eric Kendricks returned to practice on Friday and isn't listed on the team's final injury report of the week.
Whew. That's huge news for the Vikings, who would've been in big trouble without the NFL's leading tackler against a dangerous Seahawks offense on Sunday night. (They might be in big trouble anyways, but this gives them a little more hope at slowing down Russell Wilson and Chris Carson).
Three players are listed on the injury report: kick return KJ Osborn (hamstring) is OUT, while cornerbacks Holton Hill (foot) and Kris Boyd (hamstring) are questionable.
Given that Hill isn't at 100 percent and Mike Hughes is returning from a neck injury this week, it seems likely that we'll see the Vikings' fifth cornerback trio in five games this week.
- Week 1: Holton Hill, Cameron Dantzler, Mike Hughes
- Week 2: Holton Hill, Mike Hughes, Jeff Gladney
- Week 3: Holton Hill, Jeff Gladney, Kris Boyd
- Week 4: Holton Hill, Cameron Dantzler, Jeff Gladney
- Week 5: Cameron Dantzler, Jeff Gladney, Mike Hughes
That's every possible combination of the team's top four corners, plus one game where Boyd had to play because both Dantzler and Hughes were out. With that said, it's still possible Hill could play a major role if he's cleared to play on Sunday. Boyd's role would just be on special teams if his hamstring allows him to play.
Without Osborn, the Vikings will turn to veteran Ameer Abdullah on kick returns and Chad Beebe on punt returns, just like they did in Week 3 when Osborn was a healthy inactive.
Kendricks being good to go is massive. The Vikings would've been left with Eric Wilson, Hardy Nickerson Jr., Todd Davis, and Ryan Connelly at LB without their All-Pro star. Out of that group, only Wilson began training camp with the Vikings. I'm curious to see if Davis's role continues to grow as the No. 3 linebacker, given that he has much more of a successful NFL track record than Nickerson.
Here's the final injury report for the Seahawks:
As we already knew, star safety Jamal Adams is OUT. Five players are questionable: LB Jordyn Brooks, CB Quinton Dunbar, G Mike Iupati, RB Carlos Hyde, and S Lano Hill.
Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis. Also, click the follow button in the upper right-hand corner of this page (mobile users, tap the bell icon – you may have to click ‘News’ first), leave comments below, and follow me on Twitter.
