A report on Monday said that Vikings running back Dalvin Cook was diagnosed with a torn labrum and a dislocated shoulder after getting hurt in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, but Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said that was inaccurate later in the day.
Zimmer said “no” when asked if Cook tore his labrum during his press conference and that he was “not going to say” whether Cook dislocated it. Zimmer was also asked if Cook has a chance of playing against the Lions this week.
“I don’t know. It’s day-to-day. That’s what they’re telling me,” Zimmer said, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
That’s a more promising outlook than the multiple week absence that was part of the report about the nature of the injury, but Zimmer’s initial comments about injuries and reality haven’t always lined up in the past. He repeatedly called a neck injury defensive end Danielle Hunter suffered in training camp last year a tweak and Hunter wound up missing the entire season.
The Vikings will be hoping for a better outcome for Cook after their playoff hopes took a blow on Sunday.