Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer remains uncertain of when Teddy Bridgewater will be cleared to play, but he says all of the signs surrounding the quarterback lately have been positive.
After practice on Tuesday, Zimmer told reporters that Bridgewater is trending in the right direction.
“I don’t watch him every single day because he’s over there off to the side while we’re practicing,” he said, according to ESPN.com. “But the reports I get are all positive. And he knows where he’s at and where he’s got to get to. I think he’s progressing well.”
Wednesday marked exactly one year since Bridgewater suffered a gruesome knee injury in practice, and the road to recovery has been a long one. Sam Bradford will be the Vikings’ starting quarterback in Week 1, and it’s looking as though Bridgewater will miss at least the first six weeks if he begins the season on the PUP list.
Bridgewater has been spotted slinging the ball around the practice field, but Zimmer reminded reporters that there is more to being game ready than just throwing.
“He’s got to be able to protect himself on the field and be able to do the movements that are required by his position,” he said. “When he’s there, he’ll practice.”
It remains a long shot that Bridgewater will play in 2017, and we could see some drama unfold with his contract depending on when doctors clear him. Regardless of what happens with that, the Vikings are still Bradford’s team for the foreseeable future.
