Vikings DE Danielle Hunter not at practice, no timetable for return
David Blough #10 of the Detroit Lions gets sacked by Danielle Hunter #99 of the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 8, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions 20-7. ((Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - Danielle Hunter was eligible to come off injured reserve as early as this week, but it doesn’t appear the Minnesota Vikings’ star defensive end is coming back any time soon.
Hunter was nowhere to be found as the Vikings practiced Thursday at TCO Performance Center in preparation to face the Houston Texans on Sunday. Without Hunter, among others, the Vikings have had significant defensive struggles in an 0-3 start to the season. They’ve given up more than 1,300 total yards in three games, haven’t put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and weren’t competitive in the team’s first two losses.
Hunter was placed on IR before the Vikings hosted the Green Bay Packers Week 1, and because of the move, the team didn’t have to disclose Hunter’s injury. Multiple reports since have indicated Hunter is suffering from a herniated disc in his neck.
When asked about Hunter’s health on Thursday, Co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach Andre Patterson didn’t have much of an update.
“You’ve got to talk Sug about that. I’m not involved with that. He’s in my meetings, I coach him up every day. Where he is health-wise, that’s a Sug deal,” said Patterson, referencing Head Trainer Eric Sugarman.
Hunter has not practiced since Aug. 14, and missed more than two weeks of training camp in what Mike Zimmer called "a little tweak."
Hunter had 14.5 sacks last season, and became the youngest player in NFL history to amass at least 50 career sacks in his first five seasons.