The Vikings opted not to play quarterback Teddy Bridgewater against the Seahawks last Thursday and a report emerged in the following days that Bridgewater was bothered by shoulder soreness leading up to the game.
That wasn’t confirmed by the team, but the fact that Bridgewater didn’t throw in practice on either Saturday or Sunday seemed to offer further evidence that all wasn’t 100 percent with his arm. Tuesday’s practice provided reason to believe things are headed back that way.
Bridgewater threw during team drills, although reports from the team’s session indicated that he was mostly throwing shorter passes during the workout. Shaun Hill, who started in Bridgewater’s place, also returned to action after a day off and a day off from throwing to further return things to normal for the Vikes.
Coach Mike Zimmer again passed on saying the shoulder was the reason for Bridgewater’s limited activity in recent days, but hinted that something physical was to blame for holding Bridgewater out last week.
“I told you guys when I first got here I would try and be as transparent and honest as I can and I will be,” Zimmer said, via Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “But there are certain things I’m not going to tell you. If he had an issue with his shoulder, I’m going to make sure that I err on the side of caution. If I played him and he got hurt, you guys would be killing me in the press. I’m always going to protect the players. Im going to do what I think is best for the organization. You’re going to have to respect that.”
If Bridgewater plays against the Chargers in the Vikings’ first game at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, it sounds like it’s safe to assume that Zimmer is convinced that all is well with Bridgewater’s arm, legs and so on down the line.