The Vikings have resisted putting any timetable on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s recovery from the severe knee injury that kept him out for the entire 2016 season, but Bridgewater appears to be making progress on his path back to playing.
The team posted a video and photos from Tuesday’s first Organized Team Activity of the year that show Bridgewater taking snaps from center and dropping back to throw passes. There’s only so much you can tell from brief moving and still images of a practice in shorts, but Bridgewater appeared to be moving smoothly with a large brace on his left knee and any signs of progress are heartening given how seriously Bridgewater was hurt last summer.
Tuesday’s session was not open to the media, so there was no chance to hear from Bridgewater or Vikings coaches. Wednesday’s session will have media in attendance, however, and Bridgewater’s status will likely be a popular topic of conversation although head coach Mike Zimmer, who is recovering from eye surgery, won’t be there.
The Vikings did not pick up Bridgewater’s contract option for the 2018 season, which opens up the possibility that he’ll be a free agent next offseason. He may also see his contract for this year roll over to next year if he’s placed on the physically unable to perform list to start the regular season, so there’s a lot to play out as the Vikings watch to see how Bridgewater fares physically while taking on a bigger workload.