The Vikings had some surprising cuts when the team whittled their roster down to 53 for the NFL season.
Among them was a player many thought to be the team’s backup center: Brett Jones, who played in two games for Minnesota this past season.
He re-signed with the team this offseason. Then, the Vikings waived him, but signed him to the practice squad. Now, according to a report from Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, Jones will get another chance on the 53-man roster now that Pat Elflein is on IR.
The Vikings placed Elflein on injured reserve Thursday. A player on the IR must miss a minimum of three games. He was the starting right guard this season after the team moved him over from left guard, which he played in 2019.
Elflein reportedly suffered a thumb injury in Wednesday’s practice. Elflein will get surgery on his thumb and is expected to be out longer than three games, per Tomasson.