Rudolph could add punch to Vikings offense

The Vikings will get their $36.5 million investment back on Sunday.

Kyle Rudolph has reclaimed his spot as the No. 1 tight end on the team, leading the unit through individual and team drills this week. It marked the first time Rudolph strapped on pads and practiced since suffering a sports hernia injury two months ago.

And if Rudolph is active against the Bears, which Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer anticipates after listing him as probable, he doesn't plan on being limited in his first game since Week 3. That will have a ripple effect on not just other tight ends but the entire Vikings offense.

"From watching on the side, it's been extremely exciting to see what's going on around here," Rudolph said. "I'm really looking forward to having the opportunity to work this week and try and get back out there on Sunday."

The mental barrier was the one of the final steps Rudolph needed to overcome this week, along with the recovery process of practicing three consecutive days. Rudolph spent the past seven weeks, with a timely bye, rehabbing from sports hernia surgery — an operation he and the Vikings training staff hoped to avoid dating back to the preseason with weekly treatment.

The breaking point occurred when Rudolph left because of a noncontact injury against the Saints, marking the last time the offense used its 2012 Pro Bowl weapon.

"I felt like each morning when I wake up the next day, we haven't taken any steps back," Rudolph said. "That's kind of the most important thing to make sure I'm ready to go on Sunday if they're going to have me out there."

He spent Monday and Wednesday at Winter Park analyzing his body while planting and cutting across the field without feeling any pain. Rudolph unfortunately knows the process of recovering from a surgical procedure pretty well. He was placed on injured reserve with a broken foot and missed half of last season.

"If anyone knows what the secret is to stay healthy, I'd be more than happy to listen," Rudolph said. "Because I'd like to think that I put in the offseason, I put in the work during the year to take care of my body. Any time you have stuff like this, noncontact injuries, happen, it's frustrating because injuries are going to happen in football."

Rudolph has played in 11 of the past 25 games, giving the Vikings, who signed him to a five-year extension in the offseason, enough reason to be cautious in his return.

"We'll have a plan for him on how many plays we'll want to use him in," Zimmer said. "We'll be smart with him."

How that plan will incorporate Chase Ford, who filled in for Rudolph over the past six games, remains to be seen. He'll see a significant cut in snaps, while it's likely that Rhett Ellison's role in two-tight end sets will remain the same, but Ford will give the Vikings depth at an important position in offensive coordinator Norv Turner's offense.

Ford had 19 catches for 212 yards in Rudolph's absence, with more than half occurring during the last two games before the bye week. Ford finished with a career-high 66 yards and his first career touchdown in the victory over Washington two weeks ago.

"If I play none at all or play a lot, whatever they need me to do, I'm ready to do it," Ford said.

But Rudolph will ease the load on just about everyone offensively. From serving as another weapon in the pass game for rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to helping the offensive line as a run blocker, Rudolph is by far the team's most complete tight end.

The Vikings planned on incorporating Rudolph in a big chunk of their offense at the start of the season. They barely got a taste through three weeks, and it wasn't all that impressive with Rudolph's struggles to catch the ball.

But after a seven-week layoff, the Vikings will get to rip off the caution tape on Rudolph, who won't expect anything less than playing the entire game against an NFC North rival.

"For me personally, I don't want to do anything that makes me come out of the game," Rudolph said. "If I'm going to be out there, I'm going to make sure that I'm out there 'normal.' "