MINNEAPOLIS – With four other players hurt or on the reserve/covid list, John Leglue made his first NFL start at left guard Thursday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Leglue, a 6-foot-7, 310-pound former undrafted free agent from Tulane, was pressed into duty in the first series Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and played 57 snaps in his NFL debut.

Leglue became the fourth player to start at left guard and fifth to play the position this season for the Steelers. Kevin Dotson and J.C. Hassenauer are on injured reserve, Joe Haeg remains on the reserve/covid list, and B.J. Finney was ruled out Wednesday with a back injury that he sustained on the first offensive series against Baltimore.

With Leglue starting, the Steelers elevated two offensive linemen from the practice squad to provide depth for the game against the Vikings. Chaz Green was elevated for the second game in a row, and Rashaad Coward was elevated for the first time since the Steelers re-signed him to the practice squad. The other backup offensive lineman is tackle Zach Banner.

Coward was released by the Steelers in October and was claimed off waivers by Jacksonville. He was released by the Jaguars a week later and rejoined the Steelers on Nov. 23. He briefly replaced Leglue in the second quarter, making him the sixth player to man the position this year.

The Steelers de-activated three healthy players Thursday: nose tackle Carlos Davis, running back Anthony McFarland and third quarterback Dwayne Haskins. The other inactive players are cornerback Joe Haden (foot), inside linebacker Robert Spillane (knee), defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs (ankle) and Finney.

Haden will miss his fourth consecutive game, and Ahkello Witherspoon is expected to make his second start in a row at left cornerback.

Cook returns for Vikings

Returning just 11 days after he dislocated his shoulder, star running back Dalvin Cook was in the lineup for the Vikings.

Cook was expected to miss at least two games when he was carted off the field with a shoulder injury Nov. 28 against San Francisco. But he was cleared medically to play against the Steelers and wore a harness to protect against further injury. Cook wore a harness in a January 2020 wild-card playoff game against New Orleans and had a regular number of touches.

In nine games, Cook has rushed for 733 yards and four touchdowns. He ranks seventh in the NFL and entered the game with four fewer yards than Steelers rookie Najee Harris. Cook, though, is averaging 4.5 yards per carry compared to Harris’ 3.6.

The Vikings’ inactives include wide receiver Adam Thielen (ankle), rookie tackle Christian Darrisaw (ankle) and linebackers Blake Lynch and Chazz Surratt, cornerback Harrison Hand, defensive end Tashawn Bower and quarterback Kellen Mond.

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