With Sam Bradford set to miss another game and Teddy Bridgewater eligible to return from practice next week, you have to wonder if the Minnesota Vikings could end up starting their third different quarterback of the season in the near future.
According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Bradford traveled to New York this week to undergo Regenokine treatments, which involve blood being taken from his injured knee, spun down and then injected back into his body. The method has been used by several professional athletes, including members of the Seattle Seahawks. Bradford felt good in practice leading up to Week 5, but he began experiencing pain again in his team’s win over the Chicago Bears and was pulled in the first half.
While Bradford will miss his fourth game on Sunday and is still working to get healthy, Teddy Bridgewater is eligible to be removed from the physically unable to perform list next week, and sources close to the quarterback told Rapoport and Pelissero that he has experienced no setbacks and is “ready to go.” Bridgewater will need to pass a physical before being activated, and the belief is that he will have no problem doing so.
Bridgewater’s contract situation could complicate things, as the NFL collective bargaining agreement states that a player’s deal tolls if it is determined that he is not physically able to play by the sixth game of the season. Should doctors determine that Bridgewater is not ready to go, he would remain under contract with the Vikings in 2018. If he is cleared, he’ll be eligible for free agency in March.
It has long been wondered what the Vikings would do if they had both Bradford and Bridgewater healthy, but these things have a way of working themselves out. If Bridgewater looks strong in practice and all the reports we have heard about him prove accurate, his starting job could be waiting for him.
