Jeffersonwatch 2023: Vikings announce Justin Jefferson’s return to practice

Last night, we officially started Jeffersonwatch, with the Minnesota Vikings’ star receiver finally being eligible to return from injured reserve.

And now, this afternoon, Jeffersonwatch is over.

The Vikings have announced that Jefferson has, officially, been designated to return from injured reserve and that he will return to practice today. It’s important to keep in mind that this does not necessarily mean that Jefferson will be ready to return to the lineup for this Sunday’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium against the New Orleans Saints.

By designating Jefferson to return from injured reserve, the team has opened up a 21-day window for Jefferson’s return to the roster. They can bring him back to the active roster at any time during that window. If, for whatever reason, the team does not put Jefferson back on the 53-man roster during those 21 days, he will revert to IR and be forced to remain there for the remainder of the season.

Much like we’ve seen with other Vikings players in recent weeks, we will see Jefferson’s name on the injury reports that start dropping today, but if the team does not activate him in time for this Sunday’s game he will not appear on the inactive list or anything like that. Going forward, we’re just looking for the word that the Vikings have put Jefferson back on the 53-man roster with a corresponding roster move to make room for him.

Once again, the Minnesota Vikings have designated wide receiver Justin Jefferson to return from injured reserve and declared he will begin practicing with the team again today.