Day @ Camp
A daily dispatch from Eagan
Youngsters get a look
Setting the scene
With Stefon Diggs and Xavier Rhodes missing practice Wednesday afternoon after several rounds of heated exchanges, the Vikings gave several younger players a chance for some first-team work during practice. Kendall Wright and Cayleb Jones got some time with the Vikings' top offensive unit at wide receiver, while Mike Hughes and Mackensie Alexander filled in for Rhodes at right cornerback.
Cousins has turnover, TD
Quarterback Kirk Cousins was intercepted by Harrison Smith during a red-zone drill before Trevon Mathis picked off Kyle Sloter. Cousins came back, though, with a perfectly placed pass to Kyle Rudolph beyond Terence Newman and near Andrew Sendejo during a goal-line drill.
Edison impressive in relief of Elflein
With Pat Elflein still on the physically-unable-to-perform list and Nick Easton dealing with neck and back issues, Cornelius Edison has worked with the Vikings' first-team offense at center, earning praise from both Cousins and offensive coordinator John DeFilippo. "I'm proud of him. He plays with great leverage, he has strong hands, he stays low to the ground, and he's smart," DeFilippo said. "He hasn't messed up a snap yet in terms of the cadence."
Zimmer mum about use of Cook
Coach Mike Zimmer declined to discuss how — or if — he'll use running back Dalvin Cook in Saturday night's preseason opener, saying he hadn't talked to the players yet about his decision. "I think it's fair to tell the players before I tell the world," he said. Cook hasn't played in a game since last October's ACL surgery.
Camp chatter
"I just had a Marco Rubio moment there." – DeFilippo, after taking a sip of water at the beginning of his news conference Wednesday. The coordinator's one-liner poked fun at the Florida senator, who famously interrupted his State of the Union response in 2013 for a sip of water while on camera.
Injury report
• Linval Joseph was back for the Vikings' afternoon practice after missing practice Tuesday. He had a brace on his elbow Wednesday morning and said, "We're just trying to get everything right. We've got a long season ahead of us."
• Linebacker Anthony Barr, who didn't practice because of an injury last Thursday, sat out on Wednesday.
• Guards Mike Remmers and Easton remained out, and rookie Colby Gossett also missed practice.
• Wide receiver Brandon Zylstra walked off after individual drills because of an apparent injury following a collision with Hughes that appeared to reopen a gash on Newman's jaw during a red-zone drill.
Ben Goessling