DNPs for Stephon Gilmore, D'Andre Swift in first Vikings-Bears injury reports
The Vikings and Bears both held walkthroughs on Thursday ahead of their matchup on Monday night, so the first injury report of the week is an estimation on player participation levels. Nonetheless, DNPs for Stephon Gilmore and D'Andre Swift, among others, make those players worth monitoring over the next couple days.
Gilmore is at risk of missing a second consecutive game with the hamstring injury he suffered a couple weeks ago against the Cardinals. The Vikings have said they're going to play it safe with their 34-year-old cornerback, so holding him out for this game might make sense, as it would give him more time to focus on trying to be out there against the Seahawks in Week 16. Fabian Moreau has stepped in as the Vikings' No. 3 cornerback behind Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaq Griffin during Gilmore's absence.
No one else was a DNP for the Vikings. Aaron Jones (back), Pat Jones II (knee), and Andrew Van Ginkel (hip) were estimated as limited. Pat Jones, who is third on Minnesota's roster with seven sacks, missed last week's game. That led to more playing time for rookie OLBs Dallas Turner and Gabriel Murphy.
For the Bears, Swift (groin) was among five DNPs. The others were No. 2 RB Roschon Johnson, DL Gervon Dexter Sr., starting center Ryan Bates, and backup cornerback Josh Blackwell. Swift leads the Bears with 1,057 yards from scrimmage this season.
The participation levels in full-speed practices on Friday will give clues toward potential availability for Monday's game. The final injury reports with game designations will come out on Saturday afternoon. Inactives will be out at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, 90 minutes before kickoff.
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