Aaron Jones got some very good news on Tuesday.
The Minnesota Vikings have activated his 21-day practice window, according to NFL Network's Tom Peliessero.
That's the first step toward removing the veteran running back from Injured Reserve. The Vikings now have those 21 days before they are required to activate him.
"He potentially could play as soon as Thursday night vs. the Chargers," Pelissero added on X.
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This was the logical return point for Jones to begin his comeback all along, although actually playing Thursday night would be pretty impressive.
He sustained a hamstring injury in Week 2 and was then placed on IR, requiring him to miss four games.
He missed Week 3, Week 4 and Week 5. Then the Vikings had a bye in Week 6, so that didn't count toward the four absences. Jones sat out Week 7, too, and became eligible for return for the first time this week.
Minnesota will likely ease Jones back in a bit. Hamstring injuries are tricky.
The Vikings had already made it a point this offseason to ease the burden on Jones. They traded for Jordan Mason from the 49ers to limit Jones' touches to some extent. In 2024, Jones had a career-high in touches.
With Mason in town, it's more of an even backfield split.
With Jones out, the Vikings have also discovered the usefulness of Zavier Scott as a pass-catching back, so that could also factor in to Jones' playing time in the weeks to come.
But the Vikings will gladly take getting Jones back on the field, and they'll figure out the harder playing time decisions after appreciating the fact that they've got Jones available at all.
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