Kirk Cousins Loses Another Key Target Before Vikings Return

Detailed summary

Kirk Cousins is back in a Minnesota Vikings uniform. One of the receivers most eager to catch passes from him again will have to wait. The Vikings listed Jordan Addison among…

One of the receivers most eager to catch passes from him again will have to wait.

The Vikings listed Jordan Addison among their inactive players Sunday ahead of Cousins’ first start for Minnesota since 2023. Addison’s absence leaves the quarterback without another familiar target for his return against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Minnesota had already ruled out receiver Jauan Jennings and tight end T.J. Hockenson. Addison, who entered the weekend questionable with a thumb injury, joined them on the sideline when the team released its game-day list.

It is a disappointing turn for a reunion that Addison had welcomed earlier in the week. The receiver caught 36 passes for 482 yards and seven touchdowns in his first eight NFL games with Cousins in 2023, before the quarterback’s season-ending Achilles injury interrupted their partnership.

“It felt like he never left,” Addison said of practicing with Cousins this week, according to the team’s website. “The chemistry is still there.”

Now Minnesota will have to look elsewhere to replace those opportunities. Justin Jefferson remains a familiar option for Cousins, but two receivers and a tight end are missing from the group the Vikings hoped to put around their returning quarterback.

The team added help Saturday, elevating receiver Jeshaun Jones and tight end Devin Culp from the practice squad. Jones has appeared twice this season, working on special teams against Miami and New Orleans. He also made his first NFL reception against the Saints, a 32-yard gain.

Culp joined Minnesota’s practice squad in late October after beginning his career with Tampa Bay. The Vikings’ announcement identified him as another option alongside tight ends Gavin Bartholomew and Ben Yurosek. His elevation followed Friday’s decision to rule out Hockenson.

The injury list had grown late in a shortened preparation week. Addison was added Friday as a limited participant because of his thumb.

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