Stephon Gilmore sits out another Vikings practice; Aaron Jones’ mom is his toughest critic

Cornerback Stephon Gilmore continued to sit out of Vikings practice on Thursday, another sign that the former All-Pro defender could miss Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Gilmore is nursing a strained left hamstring suffered last week against Arizona. He was the only Vikings player held out of Thursday’s session since safety Jay Ward, a special teams contributor, returned for the first time since injuring his right elbow in the Nov. 24 win in Chicago.

If Gilmore can’t play against the Falcons, the Vikings’ top three cornerbacks would be Byron Murphy Jr., Shaq Griffin and Fabian Moreau, the 30-year-old veteran who had played just one defensive snap before Gilmore’s injury.

Rookie cornerback Dwight McGlothern is still waiting to make his NFL debut. McGlothern was one of two undrafted rookies to make the team this summer, but he’s the only player on the active roster who hasn’t played in a game. Coaches elevated practice squad cornerback Nahshon Wright over McGlothern last week when Ward was out. Now Gilmore and Ward are battling injuries.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores preached patience this week, when the team signed another cornerback, Kelvin Joseph, to the practice squad for depth.

“He’s constantly talking about the game,” Flores said of McGlothern. “Schematically doing this, or he likes this blitz, or would this be a situation I can jump a route? ‘No, Dwight.’ He’s all in. I think he’ll be ready when his opportunity presents itself. There’s a level of patience I’m sure guys have to show, and there’s a learning process here. You never really know until they get out on the field. There may be an opportunity for him to make his debut this weekend. We’ll see how it all kind of unfolds. But he’s done a nice job.”

Right guard Dalton Risner dealt with a back injury earlier this season, and he appeared on Thursday’s injury report with a back ailment once again. He was limited in practice. Tight end Josh Oliver (wrist/ankle) was a full participant and is on track to return from a two-game absence.

“He can do some things in the run game that not many tight ends in this league can do,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “We’re rolling now.”

Running back Aaron Jones’ mother, Vurgess Jones, is tougher on him than any fan, media member, or coach about his recent fumbling problem. Jones, who turned 30 on Monday, has fumbled in three straight games for the first time in his eight-year NFL career.

“She said, ‘They needed to sit you down,’” Jones recalled. “She was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on, but they need to take him out the game. They need to bench him right now.’ Anytime I hear from my mom, it’s going to be worse.”

“I was like, ‘Ah, you know, I gotta learn from it,’” he added. “She’s like, ‘You didn’t learn last week?’”

Jones said that he learned he needs to focus on his grip when he gets into “weird body positions,” and that his second fumble against Arizona wasn’t a clean catch. But mom isn’t hearing those excuses. Jones is all ears after his father, Alvin Jones Sr., passed away in 2021.

“It’s what I need, my mom being hard on me,” Jones said. “That was my dad for so many years. My dad’s not here, so my mom took the role over without me asking her.”

With 63 yards against the Falcons, receiver Justin Jefferson will surpass Rams great Torry Holt for the third-fastest player in NFL history to reach 7,000 career receiving yards. This will be Jefferson’s 73rd NFL game, and only Hall of Famer Lance Alworth (72 games) and Julio Jones (72) reached 7,000 yards faster than Holt’s 82 games.