Greg Childs Returns To Practice

Last year, when the Vikings thought they had a fourth round steal when the selected Greg Childs, the talented receiver out of Arkansas that slipped in the Draft due to injury concerns.  So far, almost two full seasons into his career, only the concerns have been realized and the talent level remains to be seen.

Childs tore both patellar tendons on August 4th of the team’s 2012 training camp and has been in rehabilitation mode ever since.  He has been a fixture in the locker room and his determination has been the subject of hundreds of Vikings-focused articles ever since he sustained the injury.  Monday marked the NFL deadline for the Vikings to either let Childs practice, put him on injured reserve again, or release him outright.  They decided to let him practice and that is a huge milestone for his comeback campaign.

He practiced for the first time in 15 months on Wednesday.

The Vikings now have three weeks to decide what to do with him next.  A 21-day deadline is now going to be imposed, per NFL rules, and the Vikings will either have to activate him or put him on injured reserve… or release him.  Considering the time invested into their young wide out, it would be surprising if they gave up on him at this point, as they would surely like to get him into training camp next year to see what he can do.

Childs was once thought of as a possible answer for the Vikings at the receiver position, but they were forced to move forward without him, and he will be joining a crowded group with decent talent.  Since his injury the Vikings have invested heavily into first rounder Cordarrelle Patterson, paid handsomely to obtain Greg Jennings, and converted Joe Webb back to receiver.  They have also allowed youngsters Rodney Smith and Adam Theilen to hang around and Jerome Simpson is the team’s leading pass catcher.

Still, Childs is determined to make it back to the field of play, and when he does I doubt he’ll be any less determined when it comes to making an impact.

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