6 October 2023
After being a full participant in practice twice in the past 48 hours, starting center Garrett Bradbury appears to be on the verge of returning to the Vikings’ starting lineup. He has not played since suffering a back injury early in a Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Though head coach Kevin O’Connell wasn’t ready to guarantee anything at this point, the fact that Bradbury does not have a injury designation is a good thing with the Vikings set to host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“We’ll see how he does after today,” O’Connell said. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re excited to have Garrett back.”
What would Bradbury’s presence bring to the offensive line?
“He’s just such a pillar of communication,” O’Connell said. “There’s a reason why we feel real comfortable when Garrett is out there.”
In that same breath, O’Connell made sure to praise backup center Austin Schlottmann for the way he has filled in over the past month. That said, Bradbury brings more experience to the interior of the offensive line, which will be important this week going against standout Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.
As for the other positions on the interior of the Vikings’ offensive line, left guard Ezra Cleveland and right guard Ed Ingram are in line to start once again.
Hall could be backup
There’s a chance backup quarterback Nick Mullens could miss Sunday’s game. He has been dealing with back stiffness the past couple of days, prompting the Vikings to sign former Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan to their practice squad.
As of right now, Mullens has been listed as questionable. Who would be the backup quarterback if Mullens isn’t able to suit up? That would fall squarely on the shoulders of rookie quarterback Jaren Hall.
“He’s done a really nice job,” O’Connell said of Hall. “He brings some things to the table from an athleticism standpoint that helps a guy without the reps and the preparation if he’s called upon to go out there and move the team. The job of the quarterback is to execute and find positive plays and move the team. We have a lot of confidence in Jaren.”
Davenport listed as questionable
There’s no question how impactful pass rusher Marcus Davenport was in last week’s game. He was disruptive wherever the Vikings lined him up. He even finished with a sack as a reward for his efforts.
As for how his ankle injury has responded, Davenport was a limited participant in practice this week, and he’s being listed as questionable for the Chiefs game.
“He’s had a really good week of prep,” O’Connell said. “It’s just about managing what we think he needs tactically to prepare.”
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