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In a move that's not really surprising, and actually pretty darn smart, Tom Pelissero reports that the Vikings will place Adrian Peterson on the active/PUP as training camp begins.
I would've been surprised if AP had been cleared for full practice so soon after his knee injury. Now for those of you that are going OHMYGAWDPUPHECANTPLAYFORSIXWEEKSAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH...calm down.
Deep breaths...in through the nose, out through the mouth.
The active/PUP is different than the reserve/PUP. The active PUP is used during training camp, and players can come off of it at anytime without missing the first six weeks. However, if they are removed from the active/PUP, they are not eligible to be placed on the reserve/PUP, so you just can't shuttle back and forth between the active roster and the PUP list. But, if I understand the rules correctly, if the player is still on the PUP list once the pre-season ends, they must be moved to the reserve/PUP and remain inactive for the first six games.
This will be an interesting choice for the Vikings. Both the team and Peterson have said that the goal is to be ready for the week 1 opener. Pelissero surmised that he might start practicing right after the first pre-season game, which is the 10th, which would translate into a 12 August date for a first practice.
I think that's kind of a gamble though. Once you remove him from the active/PUP, he's got to stay on the roster, unless you were to put him on IR, which would normally end his season.
However, with the changes to the IR rules, the team would be allowed to place one 'marquee' player, of which Peterson most assuredly qualifies as, on a modified IR. That would allow him to return to practice after after week 6, and back in the lineup after week 8.
So it will be interesting to see what the Vikings do: activate him during training camp and play him all year, keep him on the PUP, or maybe move him off the active/PUP, and if he has an issue, place him on the 8 week IR, and risk losing him an extra two games.