Vikings left guard Ezra Cleveland remained sidelined at Friday's practice, putting his 45-start streak in jeopardy and opening the door for guard Dalton Risner to make his first start for the team Monday night against the 49ers.
Left guard Dalton Risner is in line to make his first start for the Vikings
Dalton Risner, signed by the Vikings on Sept. 19, is likely to replace an injured Ezra Cleveland on the offensive line.
October 20, 2023 at 11:06PM
Cleveland said Friday his sprained foot was "feeling better," but walked with a slight limp in the locker room and wasn't seen at practice during the portion open to reporters.
Coaches are comfortable with Risner, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said, after seeing him block in the offense for the first time during Sunday's win in Chicago. Risner left a good impression during 10 snaps, replacing Cleveland in the fourth quarter.
"Sprinting down the field when a run got down there, trying to pick guys off before the play was dead," Phillips said. "He's got a good kind of calming presence in there, knows how to play the game, has started a lot of games."
Risner, a 2019 second-round pick by the Broncos, could make his 63rd NFL start after starting 62 of 66 games for Denver from 2019-22. He has taken first-team reps at Cleveland's spot during practices this week.
"I'm thankful I got here and worked my tail off the last couple weeks knowing I was just one step away," Risner said. "I'm used to being in the game."
Three Vikings players were limited Friday: cornerback Akayleb Evans (oblique), edge rusher Patrick Jones II (shoulder) and receiver Jalen Nailor (hamstring).
Nailor missed the last four games on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, but he returned to practice this week and could be activated to the 53-man roster, where there's an opening. Nailor said there were no setbacks in practice this week.
"I feel like I'm on the right track with that," he said.
The 49ers practiced Friday without running back Christian McCaffrey (oblique), left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and receiver Deebo Samuel (shoulder). Linebacker Dre Greenlaw (hamstring) was limited in his return to practice.
Metellus barely leaving field
Safety Josh Metellus has played a few more defensive snaps through six games than edge rusher Danielle Hunter, who is tied for the NFL lead with eight sacks. That's only because Metellus, like Hunter, is barely leaving the field.
Metellus, the versatile safety, linebacker and slot corner, has played at least 85% of defensive snaps in each of the last three games. Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels has limited Metellus amid his growing defensive duties. Metellus has played 439 snaps on defense and special teams this season, trailing only safety Camryn Bynum's team-leading 442 snaps overall.
"[His role] has evolved because he's allowed it to evolve," defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. "He's on the line of scrimmage, he's back, he's deep. We try to move him around quite a bit, but his role has evolved because he's allowed it to evolve — he's really made it evolve."
Metellus, who got $6 million guaranteed on a two-year extension in September, hit Bears quarterbacks three times in last week's win at Chicago. That included the strip sack that led to linebacker Jordan Hicks' fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Purdy 'was going to make it'
Vikings running back Kene Nwangwu is not among those surprised that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy — his former teammate at Iowa State — is leading one of the NFC's best teams despite being Mr. Irrelevant of the 2022 NFL Draft as the final selection at No. 262. Purdy is 12-2 as a starter since taking the reins last season.
"No matter how he got into the league," Nwangwu said, "he was going to make it."
Nwangwu and Purdy will be on the field together again on Monday night, when Nwangwu will make his season debut after being activated from injured reserve. He's expected to reclaim his kick returner job now that he's fully recovered from a back injury.
Etc.
• Defensive line coach Chris Rumph has been absent from practices Thursday and Friday were described by a team spokesperson as a "personal matter." Assistant defensive line coach Patrick Hill has led the group in portions of practices open to reporters. Outside linebackers coach Mike Smith has been away from the team since August on a personal leave.
• Big Boi, the hip-hop artist from Outkast, will perform at U.S. Bank Stadium during halftime of Monday night's game against the 49ers.
Star Tribune writer Ben Goessling contributed to this report.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
