Andrew Sendejo returning to Vikings after being waived by Eagles

The Vikings brought back safety Andrew Sendejo, who played eight years for the team, on a waiver claim Wednesday following his release from the Eagles.

Sendejo, whom the Vikings released after he'd played just five games last year, made one start this year with the Eagles, posting one interception (against the Vikings in a loss at U.S. Bank Stadium) while playing largely in sub packages.

His most notable moment in Philadelphia might have come in Week 4, when he accidentally hit Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox in the fourth quarter of a win over the Packers, sending Maddox to a Green Bay hospital on a stretcher.

To make room for the 32-year-old Sendejo on the roster, the Vikings released rookie safety Marcus Epps, who could find his way back to the team's practice squad.

Thielen still out

The Vikings held Adam Thielen out of practice as they got back to work Wednesday, and it remains to be seen if they'll try and bring the wide receiver back for Sunday night's game against the Cowboys after his return to the lineup was short-lived in Kansas City last week. But coach Mike Zimmer said Thielen wasn't rushed back from his hamstring injury.

Thielen played only seven snaps Sunday against the Chiefs, two weeks after he first injured his right hamstring on a touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins against the Lions. His absence against Washington on Oct. 24 ended his streak of 87 consecutive games, and Thielen was limited in practice all week before the Chiefs game. The Vikings decided to play him after a pregame workout at Arrowhead Stadium.

"The MRI does the most and what the player says does the most [to make the decision about whether he'll play]," Zimmer said. "It's just one of those things that he got in a game and grabbed a little bit. I wouldn't say it's a long-term deal."

The Vikings, though, will have to make the decision about whether it's wise to bring Thielen back before their Week 12 bye or give him time to rest. Running back Dalvin Cook — who missed an additional four games last year after trying to return two weeks after a hamstring injury last year — had some advice.

"Just don't let that one game turn into two, three, four," Cook said. "I kind of dealt with that. Just take your time and reevaluate it. Just do what's best for you and don't come back until your 100 percent. We need that guy on the field. He's valuable to our team, but he's valuable to our team when he's 100 percent. We don't need him out there at 50, 70, we need him 100 percent, and we want that guy to get well."

Thielen was one of three Vikings to miss practice, with fullback C.J. Ham sitting out because of an ankle injury and defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo out because of a shoulder injury. Defensive end Stephen Weatherly (groin) and cornerback Trae Waynes (ankle) were limited.

"It's a thinking man's game"

On Monday, Zimmer made a point to say he didn't like how expansive Cousins had been in his analysis of his own mistakes during his postgame news conference on Sunday.

Asked about his desire to explain his thought process in public, Cousins said Wednesday, "I'm pretty analytical; some would say to a fault.

"But it's a thinking man's game, and the quarterback position is a pretty analytical position to begin with. It's a strength of mine to go back, point to what went wrong, really try to simplify and boil it down to what I can fix and fix it. It sounds like I might have given you guys a little too much on Sunday. I try to talk football with you as much as I can.

"Many times, I actually feel like I have to hold it back and I sound like I don't know what I'm talking about, because I really don't want to give any trade secrets away, so I guess I may circle the wagons even more. But you're right; I really try to self-evaluate, be hard on myself, listen to what coaches are telling me and then apply it. You hope that it'll fix any errors and not let them continue."