EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings made a handful of roster moves Friday morning on the first day that all 90 players were in attendance at Verizon Vikings Training Camp.
Minnesota put cornerback Mike Hughes, tight end David Morgan and wide receiver Brandon Zylstra on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Additionally, defensive tackle Shamar Stephen and defensive end Tashawn Bower were put on the Active/Non-Football Injury (NFI) list.
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer gave an update on the players after Friday morning's walk-through session.
He was the most expansive on Hughes, who tore his ACL in Week 6 of the 2018 and missed the rest of his promising rookie season. The 2018 first-round pick had a pick-six in his first NFL game against the 49ers.
Zimmer said Vikings Vice President of Sports Medicine/Head Athletic Trainer Eric Sugarman has been closely monitoring Hughes during his rehab.
"Mike Hughes has a multi-ligament injury, so we're going to take that as we get going," Zimmer said. "He's ahead of schedule and is doing great. We'll just have to see how it goes.
"Everybody is different, really. Eric Sugarman is a terrific trainer. We'll get [Hughes] out here when the time is right. Mike is doing great, and he's excited about getting back," Zimmer added. "Mike works really hard. Dr. [Chris] Larson, who did the surgery, is excited about where he's at right now. [Hughes is] just not ready to practice yet."
Stephen, who returned to Minnesota this offseason after playing for Seattle in 2018, is expected to be back soon. Zimmer did not disclose his injury.
"Shamar … it's basically nothing. Shamar is not going to be out long," Zimmer said.
Zimmer revealed that Bower tore his Achilles while working out before Minnesota's voluntary offseason program started.
"He was working out at home on his own. It was football, but the designation had to be NFI," Zimmer said. "We treated him the right way and didn't take money away from him. He's a good kid and has been working really hard and has really improved throughout the offseason."
Zimmer did not provide injury updates for Morgan or Zylstra.
Morgan did not participate in spring drills. Zylstra did, but was held out of mandatory minicamp with an injury in mid-June.
Players on the PUP list are eligible to return immediately once cleared by a team's medical staff. If a player goes into the regular season on the PUP list, he is required to miss at least the first six weeks of practices and games.
The NFI list has the same rules as the PUP list, meaning players are eligible to practice once cleared by team doctors.
