Kevin O’Connell Makes Big Announcements on Jordan Hicks, Nick Mullens

Kevin O'Connell made a couple big announcements during his virtual press conference on Monday afternoon. The first is that the Vikings will be opening the practice window of linebacker Jordan Hicks this week. The second is that, as expected, Nick Mullens will start at quarterback against the Lions on Sunday.

Hicks suffered a scary injury against the Saints in Week 10 when he took a blow to the shin and developed compartment syndrome in his leg. He was rushed to the hospital to undergo an emergency procedure that may have saved his leg from potential amputation. He now has a scar that's roughly a foot long where doctors opened up his leg to relieve the pressure and swelling that had built up.

Hicks was placed on injured reserve and has now missed the minimum four games required when landing on IR. He'll be back at practice on Wednesday and the Vikings will evaluate him to see if there's a chance he could be activated to play against the Lions on Sunday. Even if that doesn't happen, Hicks could still return the following week against the Packers or in Week 18 against Detroit.

Rookie Ivan Pace Jr. has shined in Hicks' role over the last month, so it'll be interesting to see how their snaps are divided if the veteran is able to return to action this season.

Mullens getting the starting nod against the Lions is no surprise. He threw two ugly interceptions against the Bengals, but he also threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings moved the ball effectively for most of the day. Mullens will look to take care of the football better this weekend while still hunting big plays through the air in what will be his first home start with the Vikings.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all season long.

Subscribe to the Inside the Vikings newsletter

Follow Will Ragatz on Twitter