Cousins, Stanley return to Vikings practice, Cookus waived

On Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings got a couple of their quarterbacks back from the quarantine period they went through starting last Saturday.

Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and backup Nate Stanley were both activated by the team off of the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday. In a corresponding roster move, the Vikings waived quarterback Case Cookus.

That means the Vikings now have four quarterbacks available: Cousins, Stanley, Jake Browning, and Danny Etling. Rookie Kellen Mond, who tested positive for the virus prior to Saturday’s practice at TCO Stadium, remains away from the team.

Yes, Cousins had a press conference after his arrival. No, I’m not going to get into it here. What I will say is that Cousins apparently remains adamant about not getting the vaccine and has said that he will take the necessary precautions in order to make sure that he’s available for all 17 games for the Vikings this season.

The first preseason game for the Vikings is just a few days away, as they host the Denver Broncos at U.S. Bank Stadium a week from Saturday, and they have some joint practices with the Broncos coming up next week. Hopefully, when next Saturday rolls around, the Vikings will have their full complement of quarterbacks available to get some work in a game situation.