The outlook for the Minnesota Vikings' receiving corps appeared much brighter Monday, when the team returned to practice at its training facility in Winter Park, Minn.
Not only did reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Percy Harvin return to the field for the first time in more than two weeks, Pro Bowl selection Sidney Rice showed signs he's getting closer to coming off the physically unable to perform list.
Rice told The Minneapolis Star Tribune that he hasn't had discomfort running straight-line routes and Monday was the first day he began doing cuts. He offered no estimate of when he might return to the active roster.
"Today was the first day we did some of the cutting stuff," Rice told the newspaper. "The straight line is not bad at all. It's cutting, bending, coming in and out of breaks. It felt pretty good. I've just got to see how my body reacts to it."
Vikings coach Brad Childress said Rice won't play during Sunday night's preseason game in San Francisco.
