Vikings center Garrett Bradbury out vs. Ravens after landing on COVID list, team says

Garrett Bradbury, the third-year pro who has started every game at center since the Vikings drafted him 18^th overall in 2019, will not play Sunday at Baltimore after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday.

Mason Cole, who started 32 games in three years in Arizona before signing with the Vikings as a free agent this year, is expected to start. He was working as the No. 1 center during the portion of practice open to the media on Thursday.

Bradbury is vaccinated. He was photographed this spring getting his shot as part of the team's efforts to promote vaccinations.

As a vaccinated player, Bradbury must have tested positive for the virus to be put in the NFL's COVID-19 protocol. Per those protocols, he needs two negative tests 24 hours apart before returning. The team said Thursday he doesn't have enough time to do that before Saturday's trip to Baltimore.

Pierce held out of practice

Nose tackle Michael Pierce, who injured one of his elbows in practice on Sept. 30 and hasn't played since the Oct. 3 loss to the Browns, did not practice Thursday after being limited on Wednesday. Pierce went through stretching Thursday before leaving the field.

After being held out of practice on Wednesday, linebacker Anthony Barr (knee), cornerback Cameron Dantzler (ankle) and defensive end Everson Griffen (rest) returned to the field on Thursday. Barr and Dantzler were limited.

Also limited for the second straight day was defensive tackle James Lynch (toe).

Williams waived; Orchard signed

The Vikings made two moves at defensive end as they try to find depth after Danielle Hunter's season-ending injury.

They waived Jonah Williams when he failed his physical after being claimed off waivers from the Rams. Then they signed seven-year veteran Nate Orchard.

A second-round pick out of Utah, where he posted 18 sacks in 2014, Orchard had 11 of his 13 career starts and three sacks as a rookie in Cleveland. The 6-3, 243-pounder has played 46 career games for Cleveland, Buffalo, Kansas City and Washington.

The Vikings also elevated tight end Luke Stocker from the practice squad again.

Blunt critique of corners

Co-defensive coordinator Adam Zimmer didn't try to sugarcoat his words when asked to assess the performances of cornerbacks Dantzler and Bashaud Breeland in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys.

"Well, we're working with those guys," he said. "They know they have to play better. That was not their best performance. I don't think I'm breaking any news right there. We're trying to work constantly on their technique and fundamentals and get them better each and every day. But they need to play better than they did."

Kubiak: 'It all falls on me'

In his first news conference since Sunday's game, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak mentioned how there are more opportunities to be more aggressive and "get the ball down the field," a big-time stumbling block against the Cowboys.

Asked if it's up to him or quarterback Kirk Cousins to make that happen, Kubiak said, "It's a group effort, and it all falls on me at the end of the day."

Westbrook to return punts

Special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken said he's expecting receiver Dede Westbrook to be back returning punts after missing the Cowboys game because of an ankle injury.

"K.J. [Osborn] did a great job handling that role in that situation [last week]," Ficken said. "He filled in nicely and just showed his composure and just how much he's grown since his rookie season last year."

Osborn had one return for 7 yards against the Cowboys. Westbrook is averaging 4.3 yards on 12 returns.

Who's the emergency kicker?

Don't look for kicker Greg Joseph to take a direct snap and roll out looking to pass on a fake field goal, a la Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell, who had to leave Sunday's game in Cleveland early after suffering a concussion on the play.

Ficken said the Vikings had talked about having an emergency kicker ready.

"I know [punter Jordan] Berry's kicked off before," he said. "But part of it also is on us and how we've got to make sure we do a good job as coaches by not putting them in harm's way with a bad situation. At the end of the day, you have one kicker and one punter. I know it's great to be aggressive, but that was an unfortunate incident [for Pittsburgh]."

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin managed to win 15-10 without attempting a field goal or an extra point after Boswell left. He passed up a short field goal and went for a two-point conversion even after a penalty moved the ball back to the 12-yard line.

Ficken wouldn't give Berry's field goal range but said he thinks Berry could handle a place-kick. Asked if Berry has ever attempted a place-kick in his life, Ficken said: "No. But that's not to say he can't do that. Hopefully, we don't have to go ahead and do that."