Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph was a full participant at practice for the first time this week on Thursday. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has been cautious about publicly acknowledging whether Rudolph will play on Sunday against the Bears, but he might've slipped the news out.
"I think he'll be ready to go," Zimmer said.
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. Rudolph has missed the last six games recovering from sports hernia surgery.
The extra bye week gave Rudolph more time to recover, with Zimmer noting that Rudolph has looked "pretty good" in practice this week, but 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," Zimmer said.
Rookie defensive end Scott Crichton (hip) was the only Vikings player held out of practice. Rookie running back Jerick McKinnon (low back) was limited. Both were new additions to the injury report
The Bears, meanwhile, have 10 players on their injury report. Most notably, wide receiver Brandon Marshall (ankle) and tight end Martellus Bennett (ribs) were limited at practice. Both did not participate on Wednesday.
Cornerback Tim Jennings (knee) upgraded to a full participant after sitting out on Wednesday. Right tackle Jordan Mills (ribs) did not participate for the second straight week.
