Vikings' Dalvin Cook says he's 'playing through pain,' not injury

Running back Dalvin Cook donned his helmet and practice jersey, lightly jogging through warmups at the start of Wednesday's practice. But the Vikings shelved their injured star for the rest of the afternoon, trying to heal his sprained right ankle without him missing any more game time.

"That's the plan," Cook said Wednesday. "I don't feel like I'm headed in the wrong direction. I feel like I'm headed in the right direction to get myself back to where I need to be at. You have those days, but we just played a game."

Cook, one of four injured players sidelined at practice, exited Sunday's loss to the Browns in the third quarter after coming up "gimpy," coach Mike Zimmer said. He returned in the closing minutes and finished with 11 touches and played 49% of the snaps, his lowest rate since leaving last year's loss in Seattle early with a groin injury.

But Cook is confident he can continue playing through the swollen ankle until he's "back to being 100 percent."

"Part of this game is playing through pain," he said. "Playing through injury is something different. Playing through pain, that's what comes with this game, and that's what I'm dealing with, a little pain."

Nose tackle Michael Pierce (elbow), linebacker Nick Vigil (ankle) and receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette (toe) also did not practice. Linebacker Anthony Barr was a full participant for the first time since suffering a knee injury in early August. He's expected to play against the Lions, marking his first game in 13 months. How much he plays could be determined by his endurance.

"I wasn't confident enough in my conditioning and how I was feeling to be out there last week," Barr said. "With two weeks of practice, about to be three, I'll start kind of getting my feet wet a little bit, be a little more normal."

After internal discussions about increasing defensive end Everson Griffen's workload, co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson said he's fighting the urge to do so. Griffen is preparing for his 165th career regular season game on Sunday, and the Vikings defense needs him for at least another 12 games.

"I've got to get him through 17 games," Patterson said. "I said it a long time ago. When I said that, I was talking to myself, right? I mean, he's playing very well, and he looks like the old Everson to me, but I've still got to keep in my mind that he's 33 years old."

Griffen's return has been seamless, notching a sack in back-to-back games despite not practicing with the team until his return to the Vikings in late August. His cemented role – about 60% playing time the past two weeks – means second-year end D.J. Wonnum should continue to start.

As Wonnum searches for his first sack of the season, Patterson said he's tried to keep the 23-year-old's attention away from outside criticism.

"Like I tell him all the time, the hardest [sack] to get is the first one," Patterson said. "Once you get it, then they usually come in bunches. So, he's just got to keep grinding and doing what he's doing and not panic, and not fall into all the stuff that he reads or hears."

The Vikings' cornerback depth is lacking as Cameron Dantzler and Harrison Hand are quarantined on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Dantzler replaced Bashaud Breeland and played 72 snaps against the Browns, but on Monday he tested positive for COVID-19. He wrote on social media that he's vaccinated, meaning he can return by Sunday with two negative tests taken 24 hours apart. It's unclear whether Hand also tested positive or was deemed a close contact.

"It's a concern," Zimmer said. "I mean, I don't know what I can do about it."

Patrick Peterson, Mackensie Alexander, Breeland and Kris Boyd are the only other corners on the 53-man roster. Tye Smith and Parry Nickerson are on the practice squad. The return of receiver Dan Chisena, who was activated from injured reserve Wednesday, could help replace Hand on special teams if necessary.

Ragnow adds to Injury-riddled Lions

The Lions have been without left tackle Taylor Decker this season due to a finger injury, while center and Frank Ragnow was just placed on injured reserve with turf toe. Now rookie right tackle Penei Sewell is dealing with an ankle injury that could leave Detroit without three starting offensive linemen against the Vikings.