EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson practiced Monday for the first time in 25 days as he continues to recover from the left hamstring strain he suffered last month.
Jefferson last practiced on the second day of training camp. His history with hamstring injuries — he missed seven games in 2023 because of a strain in his other leg — prompted the Vikings to take a slow approach to his recovery.
That continued Monday, when he participated in warmups and individual drills but sat out 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work. Jefferson won’t play in the Vikings’ preseason finale Friday night at the Tennessee Titans but remains on track to start the Week 1 game on Sept. 8 at the Chicago Bears (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) — a boon to Minnesota’s otherwise depleted receiving corps.
At coach Kevin O’Connell’s request, Jefferson had been on the sidelines for nearly every training camp practice, energizing the rest of the team while giving pointers to other receivers. It appeared to be an enviable role given the drudgery of camp, but Jefferson said, “I’m a kid at heart. I want to be out here with the guys. I want to be playing football and I want to be in the mix. I don’t like to be the one only person standing on the side.
“It’s not fun just working out with yourself and competing with yourself. So it is definitely tough at times mentally, but every day you just got to focus on the things that you need to focus on.”
Jefferson spent some time during the layoff trying to figure out why his hamstrings have given him problems over the past two years.
“What I got from it is I’m different than a lot of other people,” he said. “The way I move, the way my body is positioned, the way I cut, the way I do everything is kind of different than what everyone else does. So in different positions, I might put a little bit more stress on my body than a normal typical person would. So it’s just putting my body in different positions and strengthening out those positions, I would say. It is kind of weird and it is kind of difficult to really explain, but to be honest, just putting my body in difficult positions to withstand coming out here and being in those difficult positions.”
Jefferson’s return comes at a time when the Vikings’ receiver position is unsettled. Jordan Addison will serve a three-game NFL suspension to start the season, and presumptive No. 3 receiver Jalen Nailor hasn’t practiced since suffering a hand injury last week during joint practices with the New England Patriots. O’Connell said Nailor is “figuring out what the best plan of action for return to play will be.” The coach, who classified Nailor’s status as “week-to-week,” would not say whether surgery is an option.
The Vikings have rotated a number of receivers alongside Addison and Nailor in training camp, most notably veterans Tim Jones, Lucky Jackson and Thayer Thomas along with rookie Tai Felton.
