Vikings notes: Rudolph likely to return

Mike Zimmer doesn't always acknowledge whether an injured player will be back in action on a given week.

The Vikings coach has carried a cautious approach with tight end Kyle Rudolph, who was a full participant at practice for the first time this week on Thursday, but Zimmer might've slipped the news of Rudolph's status for Sunday's game against Chicago.

"I think he'll be ready to go," Zimmer said Thursday.

Zimmer then followed each Rudolph question with an emphasis on "if" he plays, but all signs continue to point to Rudolph's return against the division rival. Rudolph increased his workload at practice after limited participation on Wednesday. He has missed the past six games recovering from sports hernia surgery.

The bye week gave Rudolph more time to recover, with Zimmer noting that Rudolph has looked "pretty good" in practice this week. But Zimmer said the Vikings will remain cautious with how they use him against the Bears — "if" he returns.

"We've got to watch the tape and see how he did [Thursday], how he recovers tomorrow from two days of work and then go from there," he said.

The Vikings cornerbacks have been tasked with defending some big receivers such as Atlanta wideout Julio Jones and Tampa Bay rookie Mike Evans, but they'll face the best duo in the NFL in Bears wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, who are a towering 6-3 and 6-4.

Munnerlyn, all 5-9 of him, will need to play underneath Jeffery and Marshall to avoid jump-ball situations. The Vikings fared well against the Falcons and Bucs when matched up against the bigger receivers, with defensive coordinator George Edwards noting that leverage and technique will be important factors.

"Yes, you worry about the height, weight and speed of these receivers and how much they are pushing off and all of those kinds of things," Edwards said. "But at the end of the day, if we play the technique, get our eyes where they need to be, do our footwork properly, we should be in pretty good shape for what we're asking them to do schematically."

Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer confirmed that cornerback Jabari Price and safety Antone Exum Jr. were inactive against Washington before the bye week because of their special teams play. Priefer and Zimmer threatened playing time if the penalties didn't decrease on special teams. Both Exum and Price were called for holding on special teams against the Bucs in Week 8.

Priefer said both rookies would get another opportunity.

"It's not my decision on the gameday roster, but I've practiced Exum, Price and the guys that were in their spots in the last game," Priefer said. "And every week is a competition, and we're going to put the best players out there on Sunday and see hopefully if they are out there that they've learned their lesson."

Notable NFL agent Ben Dogra, who represents running back Adrian Peterson, was terminated by his agency, CAA, for cause.

Peterson, who is signed through 2017, has the option to submit a filing with the NFL Players Association to follow Dogra wherever he lands after a five-day waiting period. With a long-term extension already in place, the move would only impact Peterson if the Vikings opted to release him or restructure his contract during the offseason.