Justin Jefferson danced during warmups of Monday's Vikings practice like a 22-year-old receiver returning from a rare time away from the field.

Jefferson practiced Monday, on a limited basis, as he caught one pass in his lone 11-on-11 rep with the starting offense, 10 days after injuring his left shoulder in training camp. That short time on the shelf was still unwelcomed for the receiver, who didn't miss any playing time during his two years contributing at Louisiana State or during his record-setting rookie NFL season.

"I don't think he's ever missed time before, and he doesn't like it very much," receiver Adam Thielen said Monday. "He wants to be out there with his teammates, and he'll be back, and we're excited to have him back."

Jefferson injured his left shoulder during an Aug. 6 practice when cornerback Bashaud Breeland brought him down during a late-game situational drill. It was during Jefferson's third consecutive target on the drive, underscoring his importance to an offense that already lost receiver Bisi Johnson to a torn knee ligament earlier in camp.

Jefferson's injury has been described as not serious by the team. His return less than two weeks later indicates he is progressing with another four weeks to go before the season opens at Cincinnati on Sept. 12.

Tight end Tyler Conklin left Monday's practice during the first 11-on-11 drill because of a hamstring injury, according to a league source.

Conklin was one of a handful of injured Vikings limited or not practicing, including left tackle Christian Darrisaw (groin), running back Kene Nwangwu (knee), linebacker Cameron Smith (concussion), quarterback Nate Stanley (undisclosed) and safety Myles Dorn (undisclosed). Linebacker Anthony Barr (undisclosed) watched practice.

Linebacker Troy Dye and nose tackle James Lynch were also absent from practice after playing Saturday. Lynch is dealing with a minor ankle injury sustained against Denver, according to a league source. Receiver Dede Westbrook (knee) continues to rehab with trainers on a side field after participating in warmups with the team.

After the Broncos put up 387 yards on the Vikings defensive backups in Saturday's 33-6 preseason loss, co-coordinator Andre Patterson said Monday the inexperience of "wide-eyed" rookies was obvious as they made mistakes in their first NFL game that coaches hadn't seen often in practices.

Patterson pointed to third-round defensive end Patrick Jones II, who burst past veteran Denver tackle Cameron Fleming to force a 4-yard loss on a run play. He could have done so a few more times, according to Patterson, had he not forgotten the play call three times.

"With mental errors out there and my nerves, I left some plays on the field," Jones said. "It was my first game, so I just have to get better."

Third-round guard Wyatt Davis said he was "a little heavy" when he first reported this spring, but the rookie said he has been in his target range of 310 to 315 pounds as he contends for a backup job on the roster.

Davis dealt with an injury earlier in camp and has been mostly working with the third-team offense behind guards Ezra Cleveland, Oli Udoh, Dakota Dozier and Dru Samia. After 49 snaps in his NFL preseason debut, Davis was happy to "get the rust off" and is hoping to improve during Saturday's game vs. the Colts.

"Obviously can still be in better condition," Davis said, "but that comes with getting the game reps and that's what this preseason is for."

Ahead of Tuesday afternoon's deadline for all NFL teams to trim rosters to 85 players, the Vikings waived two players with injury designations. If receiver Blake Proehl (knee) and kicker Riley Patterson (foot) go unclaimed, they will revert to the team's injured reserve list.

Proehl, who was undrafted out of East Carolina and is the son of former NFL receiver Ricky Proehl, went down in pain while running a route in practice last week. Patterson's foot injury landed him on the physically unable to perform list. The undrafted rookie attempted only two field goals in practice, both Aug. 7 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Greg Joseph, who made both field goals Saturday vs. the Broncos, is now the only kicker on the roster.

Special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken said the Vikings' coverage and kick groups have "a lot" to clean up after the errors from 2020 continued into this preseason. Among those issues is veteran punter Britton Colquitt, who had shanks of 34 and 36 yards against Denver that barely crossed midfield.

Coach Mike Zimmer called the punts "cause for concern," but Ficken was more optimistic in saying Colquitt had been having a "solid" camp. Ficken didn't rule out another punter possibly being added to the preseason roster.

"We've been excited about [Colquitt]," Ficken said. "Obviously, he knows he didn't perform to the standard he wants and that we have obviously for him. We've talked about that and he's ready to press forward."

Star Tribune writer Ben Goessling contributed to this report.