As far as veteran quarterback Nick Mullens is concerned, there’s no use going into detail about a back injury that briefly landed him on injured reserve earlier this season. After being named the Vikings’ starter this week, the 28-year-old Mullens skillfully sidestepped every question about his back injury on Wednesday at TCO Performance Center.

Asked when exactly it started to bother him, Mullens replied, “It’s a pretty gray area.” Asked if the pain built up over time, he replied, “You could say that.” Asked how his back responded after leading the Vikings to a win over the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend, he replied, “I’m healthy now.”

The only thing Mullens was interested in talking about was stepping in to get the Vikings set to play the Bengals on Saturday in Cincinnati. Not that his role changes his preparation too much. In fact, aside from getting more reps in practice, Mullens said he’s been going about his business as usual.

“I like the routine I’ve had in the past,” Mullens said. “I’m going to stick to it and be prepared to play.”

The writing was on the wall for Mullens to replace journeyman quarterback Josh Dobbs after what took place Sunday in Las Vegas. With the offense struggling to move the ball, Mullens replaced Dobbs late in the game, then led the Vikings on their only scoring drive in a 3-0 victory over the Raiders.

Though he named Mullens the starter this week, head coach Kevin O’Connell is still deciding between Dobbs and rookie quarterback Jaren Hall as to who will be the backup.

Meanwhile, injured franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins has been around, helping getting everybody on the same page as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon.

“He brings great energy to the building,” Mullens said with a smile as Cousins strolled by in a walking boot. “Any time we can have No. 8 around is awesome.”

It’s been a turnstile under center since Cousins went down with his injury. Fittingly, both Dobbs and Hall have started games as Mullens nursed his back injury. Now that he’s fully healthy, Mullens is getting his shot to lead the offense.

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” Mullens said before making his intentions clear. “It’s not cool to start. It’s cool to start and play well. That’s the goal.”

Briefly

It’s not a good sign that for the second straight day right tackle Brian O’Neill (ankle), running back Alexander Mattison (ankle) and receiver Jalen Nailor (concussion) did not participate in practice. As for star receiver Justin Jefferson (chest), he was a limited participant, as was left guard Dalton Risner (ankle). The best news of the day on the injury front was right guard Ed Ingram (hip) was a full participant.

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