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Kirk Cousins among many Vikings to sit out preseason game against Titans

dane mizutani, pioneer press
·3 min read

As expected, the Vikings rested most of their starters for the exhibition game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. Since taking over as the man calling the shots for the Vikings, head coach Kevin O’Connell has exercised caution in these situations.

His thought process is pretty clear: Why risk injury to an important player when the game doesn’t even count?

That explains why so many players exited the Vikings’ locker room without their shoulder pads on in the moments leading up to kickoff.

That list of players included: quarterback Kirk Cousins; running back Alexander Mattison; receivers Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn and Jordan Addison; tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver; left tackle Christian Darrisaw; left guard Ezra Cleveland; center Garrett Bradbury; right guard Ed Ingram; right tackle Brian O’Neill; defensive tackles Harrison Phillips, Khyiris Tonga, Dean Lowry and Jonathan Bullard; pass rushers Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport, D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones; linebacker Jordan Hicks and Brian Asamoah, cornerbacks Byron Murphy and Mekhi Blackmon, and safeties Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum and Josh Metellus.

Some of those players sat out due to injuries, including Addison, who is in the concussion protocol, Hockenson, who has been dealing with an ear infection, O’Neill, who is being brought along slowly as he recovers from a partially torn Achilles’ tendon, and Blackmon, who got hurt during joint practices this week.

Vikings reportedly sign QB

Though he still isn’t techinally on the roster, it appears the Vikings have added quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.

Most recently a standout for the DC Defenders of the XFL this spring, Ta’amu provides the Vikings with an additional arm more than anything else. It’s highly unlikely that Cousins plays at any point before the Sept. 10 season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Vikings might also want to keep backup Nick Mullens from potentially getting injured.

As for rookie Jaren Hall, he still figures to outsnap Ta’amu in the exhibition finale against the Arizona Cardinals next week. There’s a chance that Ta’amu could be a candidate for the practice squad.

Originally from Pearl City, Hawaii, Ta’amu threw for 1,894 yards and 14 touchdowns with the Defenders last season. He added 298 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. After signing running back Abram Smith and receiver Lucky Jackson, Ta’amu marks the third player from the Defenders that the Vikings have signed.

Willis set to play full game

After seeing a lot of Titans quarterback Malik Willis this week, the Vikings got even more of him on Saturday night at U.S. Back Stadium.

The original plan was for Willis to split time with Titans rookie Will Levis. Things changed on Thursday afternoon at TCO Performance Center when Levis was forced out of a joint practice.

The fact that Willis was set to play the full game could end up being a good thing for his development. He struggled at times as a rookie, and while he looked much improved in joint practices, Willis is still trying to prove to the Titans that he can be a viable option under center.

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