The Vikings are holding their first full squad training camp practices Friday in Eagan and a key cornerback will not be participating.
Mike Hughes, Minnesota’s first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, was among three players placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Wide receiver Brandon Zylstra and tight end David Morgan are also on the PUP list.
Hughes is still working his way back from a torn ACL that ended his rookie season in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Meanwhile, defensive linemen Shamar Stephen and Tashawn Bower were both placed on the active/non-football injury (NFI) list.
Any of the aforementioned players can be activated from the PUP or NFI lists at any time during the preseason.
Paul Allen, the radio play-by-play voice of the Vikings, speculated on his KFAN radio show earlier this week that Hughes will not be ready when the regular season begins in September.
If Hughes were to be placed on the regular season PUP list he would have to sit out the first six weeks of the season.
With Holton Hill suspended eight games to start the season, the Vikings will rely heavily on Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander as the top three cornerbacks on the roster, and even more so if Hughes isn’t active.
