Vikings Wednesday Injury Report: Cornerback Concerns Remain

Update: There were no changes to the Vikings' injury report on Thursday. We will post the final injury report of the week on Friday.

The Vikings released their first injury report of the week on Wednesday and as expected, the main story is the health of the cornerback position.

Three corners didn't practice: Cameron Dantzler (concussion), Mark Fields II (chest), and Holton Hill (foot). With Mike Hughes on injured reserve due to a neck injury, that's four players at one position who the Vikings were missing today. Additionally, Harrison Hand was limited with a hamstring injury.

The good news is that Kris Boyd wasn't listed on the injury report. He appeared to suffer a non-contact leg injury late in the Packers game, but it's been reported that it was merely a cramp. That's excellent news for the Vikings, who may need him to play a major role this weekend against the Lions. Boyd, Jeff Gladney, and recent waiver wire pickup Chris Jones are the three fully healthy corners on the active roster.

The only non-corner who didn't practice in full was special teams ace Dan Chisena, who was limited with a hip injury after missing Sunday's game in Green Bay.

The #Vikings first injury report of the week pic.twitter.com/IoV39w3dEt
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 4, 2020

Vikings corners have been dropping like flies this season. Through seven games, they haven't had the same three CBs lead the team in snaps twice. Here's a list of the three corners to lead the team in snaps each week. It's worth noting that this is slightly different than the list of starting corners; for example, Hughes started in Week 6 but exited in the first quarter.

Week 1: Dantzler, Hill, Hughes
Week 2: Hill, Jeff Gladney, Hughes
Week 3: Hill, Gladney, Boyd
Week 4: Gladney, Dantzler, Hill
Week 5: Gladney, Dantzler, Hughes
Week 6: Dantzler, Gladney, Hand
Week 8: Gladney, Boyd, Hand
Week 9: ???

If things stay this way the rest of the week, I'd expect Gladney, Boyd, and Hand to be the top three corners again on Sunday. But if Hand can't go, Jones would presumably step into a major role. The Vikings also have Marcus Sayles as a candidate to be elevated from the practice squad.

Fields, Hill, and Dantzler seem highly unlikely to play this week. Fields has a punctured lung and is expected to be out for a few games. Hill hasn't played or practiced in over a month due to a foot injury. And while Mike Zimmer said on Monday that Dantzler could play this week, he needs to pass concussion protocol and the team may not want to rush him back after a scary situation in Green Bay.

In need of additional depth, the Vikings hosted FA CB Cordrea Tankersley for a visit on Wednesday. Tankersley was a third-round pick out of Clemson in 2017 by the Miami Dolphins. While at Clemson, he played with Fields and former Vikings defensive backs Mackensie Alexander and Jayron Kearse. Tankersley played a major role as a rookie but has barely played over the past two years. He was released by the Dolphins on Tuesday.

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