Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson said earlier this week after returning to practice that he won’t play again until his injured right hamstring is fully healed. It is not there yet.
The Vikings officially ruled out Jefferson and offensive guard Chris Reed for Sunday.
“The hamstring is a difficult injury just because it lingers and it comes back from time to time if you don’t put the right treatment into it,” Jefferson said Thursday, his first public comments since being injured Oct. 8, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “The guys and the rest of the coaching staff in this building know my worth on the field and they want me at 100 percent, as I do as well. I don’t want to go out there at 80 or 90 percent and have the chance of hurting it again. It’s just day-to-day, and when that time comes, I’ll definitely be ready to step out there.”
Jefferson was a limited participant in practice all week.
The Vikings also announced they signed linebacker Nick Vigil to the active roster. They had elevated Vigil the past two weeks, and he totaled 29 snaps on special teams in games against the Packers an Falcons.
Vigil has started 37 of the 54 games he’s played.
In addition, Minnesota elevated quarterback Sean Mannion and defensive lineman T.J. Smith for Sunday’s game.
Mannion will back up Joshua Dobbs, who made his Vikings’ debut last week in Atlanta. Dobbs relieved rookie Jaren Hall, who left last week’s game with a concussion late in the first quarter. Hall is in concussion protocol and was ruled out for Sunday’s game.
Mannion has appeared in 14 games with the Rams and Vikings since 2015 and last played Jan. 2 with Seattle.
Smith was elevated from the practice squad last week, and he played 12 defensive snaps and recorded one tackle against the Falcons.
The Vikings also announced they re-signed veteran defensive lineman Sheldon Day to the practice squad.
