Vikings star Justin Jefferson takes big step in recovery from hamstring injury

Minnesota Vikings' superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson hasn't practiced since the second day of training camp.

He's struggled with hamstring injuries in the past, and he's dealing with another one right now. Jefferson tweaked his left hamstring just days into training camp, and the Vikings have been slow-playing his return to the field out of an abundance of caution.

With that said, Jefferson did practice on Monday, which marked the first time he's seen the field in 25 days.

According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, Jefferson went through warmups and participated in individual drills. He didn't do any team work and he's not expected to play in the Vikings' preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans.

The star wideout has been staying involved with the team while on the sidelines at practice, though. That's something head coach Kevin O'Connell asked of him, but he also wants to be a part of things.

 "I'm a kid at heart. I want to be out here with the guys. I want to be playing football and I want to be in the mix. I don't like to be the only person standing on the side," Jefferson explained.

During this time off, Jefferson has also been trying to figure out why he's had these hamstring issues. The long and short of it is that he's learned that his body reacts differently from other players' to the rigors of NFL football, and part of what he has to do to protect it is to simulate stress.

"It's just putting my body in different positions and strengthening out those positions, I would say," Jefferson said. "It is kind of weird and it is kind of difficult to really explain, but to be honest, just putting my body in difficult positions to withstand coming out here and being in those difficult positions."

Jefferson missed seven games in 2023 because of a hamstring injury in his right leg.

Last season for the Vikings, he played in all 17 regular-season games and caught 103 passes for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns.