Adrian Peterson Injury: Updates on Vikings Star's Thigh and Return

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson exited the team's practice Aug. 12 with a thigh bruise, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. Peterson tested out his leg after limping to the sideline and went to the locker room while the team finished practice.

He has yet to appear in either of the Vikings' preseason games, but did participate in practice on Monday.

Continue for updates.

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Peterson Completes Drills in Practice 

Monday, Aug. 17

Peterson was "limited" in individual drills during practice, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.

"Coach [Mike] Zimmer obviously gives the injury reports, but I talked to [athletic trainer] Eric Sugarman. We all held our breath for a second [on Tuesday], but Adrian is fine," said offensive coordinator Norv Turner, per ESPN.com's Ben Goessling on Aug. 12.

When asked if he'd suit up if this were the regular season, Peterson responded, "Safe to say I'd play on Sunday," per Andrew Krammer of ESPN 1500.

The Pro Bowl running back rushed for 1,266 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2013, his seventh season in a Vikings uniform. He's gone over the 1,000-yard mark in six of those seven years and scored double-digit touchdowns each campaign.

Losing Peterson—even for a short amount of time—would be a difficult pill to swallow.

The Vikings are more reliant on a singular running back than perhaps any other team in the league. Primary backup Matt Asiata is 28 years old and has limited NFL experience. Jerick McKinnon, drafted in the third round, is a converted quarterback still learning how to play the position full time.

At Peterson's age, the microscope increases with every bump and bruise. While he's only two years removed from a historic 2,000-yard campaign, he's now 30 years old—the catch-all age used as shorthand to signal the end of a running back's prime. Peterson hasn't shown a single sign of slowing down, but with a cap hit $5 million more than any other player at his position, the Vikings are correct to fret a bit.

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

"The same thing I thought when they say ACL, you'll never come back from it," Peterson said in 2014's minicamp of nearing 30, per Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. "It is what is. It doesn't apply to me. I have a totally different mindset and mind frame, so I'll just stay in my lane and let everybody else say what they have to say."

Peterson has never been one to shy away from his goals. He's been open about his desire to rush for 2,500 yards in a season though in a Reddit AMA, he admitted winning a Super Bowl would trump the rushing record.

Both goals seem far-fetched at the moment. But Peterson's penchant for coming back from injury better than ever should give the Vikings some solace as they await final word.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.