Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray began the week in the NFL concussion protocol, continuing his recovery from an illegal hit to the head that forced him out of his first game with the team in the first quarter.
Murray arrived on Monday at Vikings headquarters “feeling pretty good,” according to coach Kevin O'Connell, but it was far too soon to assess his chance of playing on Sunday at Chicago.
Now, O'Connell had a further update Wednesday, and it is at least tentatively good news on the Viking QB. O'Connell says Murray is a "limited participant" in practice at this point.
"The good thing is, the amount of reps he got from obviously competing and then being named the starter, like he's got a lot of reps logged away," O'Connell explained. "But yeah, really we're taking it kind of period by period as far as the plan we have, but we want to be monitoring how he's doing."
While O'Connell isn't ruling Murray out for Sunday's game, Murray would likely need to be medically-cleared to play. Reports say he is moved into phase 3 of the NFL's 5-phase concussion protocol.
Because teams always protect quarterbacks from contact in practice during the week, Murray's limited participation doesn't necessarily mean he's on a fast track to play. O'Connell and the Vikings prefer to make their decision about who will start by Friday.
“He's got to be medically cleared before we even have the conversation about playing in a game," he added.
Murray's debut with Minnesota lasted 11 plays. At the end of a third down run that ended well short of the sticks, Murray had the right side of his helmet smacked hard by Green Bay safety Javon Bullard's lowered shoulder with the quarterback already ducking toward the turf to try to avoid contact. Bullard was penalized for unnecessary roughness, but the Vikings weren't concerned about further punishment. Murray hadn't initiated a feet-first slide, so he was a live target.
“It was a violent, physical play,” O’Connell said. “But I don’t put any fault on anybody there.”
The offense will certainly be missing another key piece, however. Running back Jordan Mason, who ran 15 times for 59 yards and a TD in the win over the Packers, has been placed on Injured Reserve due to a thumb issue.
Mason is expected to be back on the active roster after the minimum four weeks, coach Kevin O'Connell said, after X-rays revealed a small fracture that required a minor procedure.
Aaron Jones continues to top the depth chart, but the Vikings added RB DeeJay Dallas to their 53-man roster, with his role certain to increase beyond special teams and third down pass protection.
The Vikings also signed fifth-year veteran Jerome Ford to the practice squad for depth, after rookie Demond Claiborne was a healthy scratch for the game last week. Ford spent the past four seasons with Cleveland.
“Aaron obviously is going to be heavily involved,” O'Connell said. “At the same time, we want to keep him fresh.”
Running back Jordan Mason is out with a thumb issue and placed on injured reserve
Running back Jordan Mason is out with a thumb issue and placed on injured reserve
