Minnesota Vikings star defensive end Danielle Hunter will miss at least the first three games of the season after being placed on injured reserve.

Hunter, 25, has been sitting out of training camp over the last couple of weeks due to a "tweak." Head coach Mike Zimmer, along with the rest of the team, refused to give any more detail as to why Hunter was being held out of practice.

Wednesday (September 9) changed that narrative. With the NFL season starting, the Vikings had to make their designated injury report. The team opted to move Hunter to the injured reserve list. While still not making it fully clear as to what the injury is, the Vikings confirmed the move on its social media pages.

ESPN's Courtney Cronin is reporting that the injury is involving Hunter's neck.

Due to the new NFL rules surrounding COVID-19, the IR will keep Hunter out for at least the first three weeks. He will miss games against the Packers (September 13), Colts (September 20), and Titans (September 27). Hunter will be eligible to return to play during Week 4 against the Houston Texans (October 4).

Minnesota will look to fill the void left by Hunter with defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue, Ifeadi Odenigbo, and Jaylan Holmes.

Hunter's consecutive games started and played streak will come to an end after moving to IR. He appeared in 77 straight games and started 48 consecutive games. Through his NFL career, Hunter has 261 total tackles, 54.5 sacks, and one safety.

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