The Minnesota Vikings will get Harrison Smith from a concussion for the London matchup with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but they could be shorthanded elsewhere.
Kevin O’Connell addressed the media Monday and said Smith has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol after getting injured during the Sept. 19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Although the Vikings plan to ease Smith back into practice, O’Connell believes he’ll be good to go in London.
“We’ll kind of limit his contact early in the week,” O’Connell said. “The expectation is that Harrison will be able to go in London.”
Josh Metellus started in place of Smith against the Lions and posted the second-highest defensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus. He also sealed the victory with an interception in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter.
The situation wasn’t as clear with Dalvin Cook. The Vikings running back suffered a right shoulder subluxation during the third quarter of the win over the Lions and did not return to the game. After telling reporters that he would be ready to play against the Saints, O’Connell offered a more cautious approach.
“He’s pretty sore today but obviously it’s something he’s familiar with in his shoulder,” O’Connell said. “I think it’s something that he’s prepared to try to play with while also knowing that we’re going to do what’s best for him to make sure that we can have him as much as possible through the ins and outs of the rest of the season. It truly is a day-to-day thing and we’ll see how he deals with the management with it but he wants to be out there with his teammates.”
A shoulder subluxation is a partial dislocation of the shoulder joint.
Cook suffered a similar injury last season and missed one game before playing the rest of the season with a harness to keep his shoulder in place. His first game back was one to remember as Cook ran for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
O’Connell also said cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. will return to practice this week as he deals with a quad injury. The second-round pick has yet to make his NFL debut.
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