Vikings coach Mike Zimmer happy with joint practices with Bengals

CINCINNATI – There were no fisticuffs, no major injuries and no regrets for Mike Zimmer and the Vikings on Thursday as they wrapped up their second and final joint practice with Zimmer's old team, the Cincinnati Bengals.

"We had a good couple days of work," the coach said after a morning practice on the two fields outside of Paul Brown Stadium. "Both teams acted in a professional manner. We got a lot of work done. It was nice and hot out here both days, so that was good for us. I thought it was a very productive two days."

Thursday morning's practice was a partially-padded but fast-paced session lasting a little over an hour. Their four inter-squad periods with the Bengals included red-zone work, a simulated two-minute drill and kickoff return reps.

Wednesday, the Vikings and the Bengals practiced third-down situations, red zone, 7-on-7 passing, line drills and field goals against would-be blockers.

"Even though it's been two physical days, it's a lot of mental work as well," Zimmer said. "All those things teach the players how to react in gamelike situations."

Zimmer said the two practices with a potential playoff team in Cincinnati were especially beneficial for the team's offensive and defensive lines.

It was such a good experience, Zimmer seemed receptive to doing joint practices again in future years. Teddy Bridge­water would welcome that.

Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes was hydrated and back on the field Thursday, a day after he got overheated during practice and was not cleared to return.

"It was frustrating," he said. "But it was the right thing to do at the time."

Waynes was with the first-team defense Thursday, and the 2015 first-round pick is likely to start Friday night against the Bengals with veteran Terence Newman left behind in the Twin Cities as he deals with a "nagging" injury.

"We wish he could be here, but I'm just going to try to take advantage of this opportunity and just keep learning and progressing," Waynes said.

Zimmer liked what he saw from Waynes on Wednesday before he got sick.

Unprompted, Zimmer singled out Bridgewater for praise while recapping the joint practices. Zimmer seemed particularly impressed with how Bridgewater fared Wednesday, when he connected with wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a few occasions, including at least one bomb and a couple of deep crossers.

"Teddy played very well both days," Zimmer said, adding, "He's taking the things we've been working on in practice and is continuing to improve."

Bridgewater was unable to lead the first-team offense to a touchdown in a simulated two-minute drill late in Thursday's practice. But he threw a couple of nice strikes earlier, including a touchdown pass to Diggs in a red-zone period.

For the second straight day, there was no sign cornerbacks Melvin White and Marcus Sherels; wide receiver Jarius Wright; running back Jhurell Pressley; linebackers Eric Kendricks, Edmond Robinson and Brandon Watts, and defensive linemen Sharrif Floyd and Scott Crichton.