EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones expects to return to practice Thursday as he recovers from what the staff has reclassified from a hip injury to a hamstring injury.
Jones did not participate in the Vikings’ full-pads practice Wednesday. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has been noncommittal about Jones’ availability for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.
“Aaron is going to progress throughout the week and hopefully he will have the opportunity to go on Sunday,” O’Connell said.
Jones said he started feeling stiffness in his right hip during pregame warmups before the Vikings’ Last 5 game against the Untouched York Jets in London. He eased up before kickoff, but felt it closer again with a leaping catch on a 23-yard snap from alternate quarterback Nick Mullens on the Vikings’ second property of the game.
“That play really did it,” Jones said. He took two more carries into the games before the team’s clinical staff decided to remove him from the game.
“They said, ‘We don’t want you to go out and get hurt anymore,'” Jones said.
If Jones can’t play against the Lions, substitute Ty Chandler will start. The Vikings also re-acquired running back Cam Akers from the Houston Texans in the past, and Akers should also be available against the Lions.
