Will left tackle Christian Darrisaw be ready for Week 1 against Chicago?

Vikings fans once again got a limited look at the full offensive line Friday as left tackle Christian Darrisaw played some team reps for the second straight training camp practice.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell said earlier in the day that Darrisaw’s return to team action even before the calendar switched over to August on Friday should make it clear “what the timeline is for all of us hopefully” when it comes to Darrisaw’s knee recovery.

Still, the Vikings are hesitant to say the checkered flag is in sight when it comes to Darrisaw’s full return to play.

There’s been no commitment to Darrisaw being available for Week 1 against the Bears in Chicago, even with him seemingly ahead of schedule in his return to practice.

“What I don’t want is for there to be some level of disappointment or like something wasn’t done if that doesn’t happen‚” O’Connell said. “Regardless of how the next month or so plays out with his readiness and what’s best for Christian, nothing will diminish what he’s been able to accomplish, which is remarkable.”

It’s been nine months since Darrisaw went down with ACL and MCL tears in his left knee against the Rams last October, sidelining him for the rest of the season.

Darrisaw played his first team reps since the injury during Wednesday’s practice, coming in for a series or two throughout the afternoon while the rest of the reps were played by Justin Skule.

Darrisaw smiled when asked how it felt to get back to hitting defenders.

“Being able to be out here with my teammates and playing the game that I love and actually getting to go against a defense full-speed, get my feet back under me, everything’s been really good,” he said.

Darrisaw typically starts practices on the exercise bike before joining the O-line for stretching and warmup drills. He wears a brace on his left leg.

Darrisaw didn’t have a specific answer when asked what the next box to check in his recovery is, but he said that every time he’s pushed his body, including when he first appeared back in practice at minicamp, his body has responded how he wanted.

“Whatever they tell me to do, I’ll come out here and do, and if things are feeling right, we keep moving,” Darrisaw said.

There were flashes of good for the offense throughout Friday’s practice — J.J. McCarthy’s chemistry with tight end T.J. Hockenson continues to stand out, and he connected with wide receiver Lucky Jackson on the move and throwing partially cross-body for a touchdown during the red-zone drill — but there also remained frustrating moments.

O’Connell called it “a tremendous challenge” for McCarthy, but also the entire offense, to respond in the moment and day-to-day when the defense is playing as strong and consistently as it has through the first week of padded practice.

He said some of the biggest plays have simply been guys like interior defensive linemen Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen or outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard and Dallas Turner decisively winning up front, particularly on passing rush reps.

O’Connell also said that while he doesn’t mean it in an excusatory way, he does take into consideration that both Darrisaw and right guard Will Fries, who’s coming back from a tibia fracture, are not full-go yet when assessing the offense’s performance.

Darrisaw has seen few, if any, full-team reps against the first-team defense so far in his return. He typically is in for drills where the first-team offense works against the second-team defense.

Practice ended Friday with two-minute drills for both the first and second teams.

McCarthy paced the first-team offense well down the field, completing early passes to running back Aaron Jones near the left sideline, wide receiver Jalen Nailor on the right sideline and running back Jordan Mason on a checkdown.

He connected with Hockenson under pressure, but then the drive stalled out.

McCarthy targeted Nailor in the front left corner of the end zone, and the pass fell incomplete. Nailor was covered by cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and safety Theo Jackson, who again had a pick on McCarthy in an earlier drill.

Then, Greenard blew up the next snap with a sack and forced McCarthy to spike the ball with nine seconds on the clock for a third-and-long.

While O’Connell didn’t have a formal update on wide receiver Justin Jefferson’s hamstring strain Friday, a week after it was first announced, he said Jefferson will start the slow ramp-up of work again this week.

O’Connell also said reports about Jefferson’s injury have “been really positive.”

Jefferson started Friday’s practice on the far field working out with trainers before coming over to the main practice field and assuming his usual position alongside the wide receivers and offense consulting on practice.

He continues to wear a leg sleeve on his left leg.

O’Connell descended from his office in TCO Performance Center for his press conference Friday wearing a Jared Allen Pro Football Hall of Fame T-shirt.

“We’re so proud of him and what this weekend means for him,” O’Connell said. “I know I speak for all of our fans, every member of our organization, ownership just saying congratulations to him... It’s a big deal.”