Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman returns to practice, but three starters are sidelined

Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering a turf toe injury against the Jets about a month ago.

Cashman, who was the Vikings’ leading tackler through five games, had his practice reps limited during his first action with the team. Coach Kevin O’Connell said he hopes Cashman can ramp up his participation in preparation for returning to play Sunday at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“Blake’s really confident and just absolutely dying to get back out there with the guys,” O’Connell said Wednesday. “Hopefully it’s this week, and we’ll see how he handles the workload.”

The Vikings practiced without three starters: linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (knee), center Garrett Bradbury (rest), and edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel (rest). Although the team listed “rest” as the reason for Van Ginkel’s absence, defensive coordinator Brian Flores said earlier in the week that Van Ginkel, who played a season-low 39 snaps against the Colts, has a “minor thing that he’s dealing with,” alluding to an undisclosed injury.

Tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee) is no longer listed on the injury report after playing 33 snaps (45%) against the Colts during his first game in about 10 months. Hockenson caught three passes for 27 yards.

“We were keeping track of his rep count,” coordinator Wes Phillips said. “We didn’t have a necessarily set number, but we didn’t want to overload him in his first game back. I think he felt it a little bit, just getting back into real football and into that kind of shape.”

Edge rusher Gabriel Murphy, an undrafted rookie out of UCLA, returned to practice Wednesday, opening his 21-day window in which he’s eligible to practice while on injured reserve.

The Vikings also shuffled defensive line depth on Wednesday, promoting defensive tackle Jalen Redmond to the active roster and adding defensive tackle Travis Bell to the practice squad. The team placed rookie defensive tackle Taki Taimani on I.R. last week because of an ankle injury.

The Jaguars practiced without both starting guards, Brandon Scherff (knee) and former Viking Ezra Cleveland (ankle). Quarterback Trevor Lawrence (left shoulder) took limited reps in practice after Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said he’s unsure if Lawrence will play Sunday.

Running back Cam Akers has quickly overtaken Ty Chandler as the primary backup to Aaron Jones. Akers, whom the Vikings reacquired via a trade with the Houston Texans on Oct. 15, had eight touches for 53 yards against the Colts. He played only special teams during his first two games with the Vikings.

“It’s a blessing to be able to considering what I’ve been through,” said Akers, who recovered from a second torn Achilles tendon last year. “I don’t take any of that for granted.”

Chandler, who opened the season playing about 20 snaps per game, has seen his role diminish after struggling to replace an injured Jones in the Oct. 6 win against the Jets. The Vikings traded for Akers following that game, after which Chandler has seen just two touches for four yards.

“We’re still gonna see Ty Chandler in the mix as well,” O’Connell said. “It was really just kind of a situation where Cam gets off to a hot start. We were able to kind of stack some runs on top of each other, made some really, really good cuts.”

Rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner, the 17th overall pick in April’s draft, played 26 defensive snaps against the Colts, marking his biggest workload since playing 36 defensive snaps in the Sept. 8 season opener at the Giants. Flores noted Van Ginkel’s undisclosed injury factored into Turner’s increased workload, but he also said coaches will go with whomever is playing well between Jonathan Greenard, Van Ginkel, Patrick Jones II, Jihad Ward and Turner.

“Dallas did a few good things as well,” Flores said. “That’s a deep room. There’s a lot of good players in there. By and large, we’ll go with the hot hand.”

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