Vikings Activate QB Kellen Mond From Reserve/COVID-19 List
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Rookie quarterback Kellen Mond returned to practice for the Minnesota Vikings Tuesday after spending 10 days on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Mond reportedly tested positive for the virus before a night practice on July 31. Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and Nate Stanley were also placed on the COVID-19 list, though both returned to practice last week.
Cousins said he was deemed a close contact to Mond because the room the team was holding quarterback meetings in was "deemed to be too small."
Jake Browning was the only quarterback available for that July 31 practice. Head coach Mike Zimmer praised Browning after the practice, specifically citing his vaccination status.
"Jake's really smart. He's vaccinated, that helps, to be the backup," Zimmer said. "He's out there. He's available. That's important. It's important to be available when you're playing football in a team sport."
Zimmer and other team officials have expressed frustration with some Vikings players' hesitancy about the COVID-19 vaccine.
At a press conference after his return to the team, Cousins said he'll "follow the protocols vigilantly" and, in addition to wearing a mask and social distancing, he's "even thought about, should I just set up literally Plexiglas around where I sit?"
The Vikings host the Denver Broncos for their first preseason game Saturday.