Teddy Bridgewater not cleared to practice with Minnesota Vikings

Dec 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) during a game at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Cowboys defeated the Vikings 17-15. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) during a game at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Cowboys defeated the Vikings 17-15. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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A video showing Teddy Bridgewater throwing passes at Minnesota Vikings OTAs had fans excited, but the popular quarterback is not ready for team practices.

There might not be a more popular player on the Minnesota Vikings roster than Teddy Bridgewater. His fun-loving attitude combined with charisma and pass accuracy has endeared him to fans all around the world.

When a video was released of the rehabilitating quarterback throwing passes during recent organized team activities, speculation about just how close Bridgewater is to returning to the football field began to arise.

However, fans will need to be patient for Teddy to return to the team in a full capacity, as the team’s general manager Rick Spielman made it very clear that Bridgewater is not cleared to return to practice and needs more time to completely heal from his injury and surgery.

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Here is the statement from Spielman as shared on the official website of the Minnesota Vikings:

"“Part of the rehab process is that he is able to start dropping back and throwing the ball. He is not cleared for practice. I want to make that perfectly clear, but he is working extremely hard on his rehab, and we’ll continue to monitor his progress as he goes.”"

Still, fans should be excited that the quarterback is taking steps toward returning to the team. Despite seeing this progress, the timeline for when Bridgewater will come back to the Vikings is still cloudy at best.

"“Teddy is working extremely hard, trying to get back from such a devastating injury. We’re all focused, and Teddy’s focused on rehabbing and getting ready as quickly as he can. Teddy is such a great kid. I know how everybody feels about Teddy, including our Head Coach, our Ownership, this entire organization, just hoping that he’ll eventually be able to come back on the field. That’s still the unknown. I know everybody from [Director of Sports Medicine/Head Certified Athletic Trainer] Eric Sugarman to the doctors are doing everything they can to work with Teddy, and Teddy is working — you almost have to hold Teddy back from doing too much because he’s so diligent in what he’s trying to get accomplished.”"

Next: Zimmer optimistic about Bridgewater return

It is fantastic to watch these videos with Teddy Bridgewater and watch how hard he is working to make a comeback to the NFL. Fans of the Minnesota Vikings are also loving the updates on his status and hope that his return to the team at full health comes as soon as possible.