Teddy Bridgewater injury update: When will he resume practice?

The Minnesota Vikings are dealing with the iffy status of Sam Bradford, but will Teddy Bridgewater be ready to return as soon as he can?

After a fantastic Week 1 performance against the New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford has missed the last two games with lingering soreness in his twice surgically repaired left knee. Case Keenum has been bad then very good in his two starts, with the possible return of Teddy Bridgewater looming in a few weeks.

Bradford is essentially day-to-day, or week-to-week, so Keenum is the Vikings’ starting quarterback until further notice. Bridgewater is currently on the PUP list as he works his way back from a substantial knee injury in August of 2016, and once he spends the minimum six weeks on that list the team will have to make a decision on him.

Bridgewater could be ready by midseason, and he will be eligible to practice after Week 6. The Vikings are sure to be cautious, but Pro Football Talk suggests Bridgewater could be pressed into action as soon as he’s eligible in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens.

It seems to be a foregone conclusion Bridgewater will be ready to practice, at full capacity, when he can in three weeks. Keenum will be challenged to play well against a team other than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the coming weeks, and if he is banged up at all while Bradford struggles to get right necessity may push Bridgewater to the top of the depth chart.

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Putting Bridgewater back on the field before he’s quite ready is an invitation for him to be re-injured, and it’s still hard to assume he’ll be totally fine immediately after Week 6. But circumstances may dictate a third starting quarterback for the Vikings this season, and Bridgewater has a few weeks to be activated once he returns to practice.