Adrian Peterson passes injury baton to Jerick McKinnon

Adrian Peterson is returning to practice but his fellow running back Jerick McKinnon could be on the shelf for a bit.

The Vikings would like to have all their running backs available for practice but they’re having a hard time making that happen.

First it was Adrian Peterson going out for a bit with a strained hamstring, now it’s Jerick McKinnon going down with an undisclosed injury.

How was McKinnon hurt? According to Mike Zimmer, McKinnon got a little “twisted” during Monday’s practice (via Minneapolis Star-Tribune).

Imagine that one on the official injury report. OUT Jerick McKinnon “got a little twisted.”

What body part exactly was twisted and how severe was the twist? Anybody’s guess.

What, you expected Mike Zimmer to give a thorough breakdown of an injury?

Zimmer won’t talk about injuries during the season more than he is required to by rule, and he certainly is not going to give up much information during training camp when injury reports are not required.

The fact that McKinnon did not go out for practice Wednesday afternoon is perhaps an ominous sign. We’ll keep an eye on the running back’s health.

Meanwhile, according to the Star-Trib, Adrian Peterson is expected to practice Wednesday afternoon. So that means his hamstring pull wasn’t fatal.

The other day I speculated that perhaps Peterson’s latest injury was a sign he might be starting to break down physically. That looks like an overreaction in light of his swift return to practice, but I don’t think it is.

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The issue isn’t severity of injury, it’s profusion of injuries.

When players get older they become more susceptible to small dings and those add up. It’s just part of the natural aging process. Adrian Peterson, despite his god-like attributes, is not a god. He is a mortal man over the age of 31 who plays professional football.

Point being, the slide is going to begin soon. We are on permanent Adrian Peterson Slide Watch whether we want to admit it or not.