Minnesota Vikings: Brandon Fusco returns to practice
That sigh of relief you heard on Thursday was coming from Winter Park with Brandon Fusco being back on the practice field with the Minnesota Vikings. Fusco sat out Wednesday’s practice due to a concussion, but was back during positional drills according to 1500ESPN.
Fusco is a good lineman, but the more major of the worries is if Fusco cannot go on Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. If Fusco has to miss, the Vikings would be scrapping the bottom of their offensive lineman barrel.
Already, Phil Loadholt is out for the year with a torn Achilles, center John Sullivan is out still for a couple more weeks after back surgery and even backup tackle Carter Bykowski is out with a torn pec.
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The freshly acquired Jeremiah Sirles will be moved on up to the starting line if Fusco can’t go. Sirles was traded to the Vikings from the San Diego Chargers right before the regular season commenced.
Fusco is practicing, but that does not mean that he has cleared the concussion protocol that the NFL has installed. Concussions now, of course, are something players cannot simply just play through.
As 1500ESPN points out, there are five steps to the protocol and we are still not sure where Fusco is in the steps. Just because he was out during positional drills does not mean he is back fully for the Vikings.
The good news is that Fusco is back on the playing field and he still has a couple days to be cleared and help out the offensive line before the Chargers come to town on Sunday.
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