Bridgewater: 'There was a time when the dream died'

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater made his official return to the team this week after losing a season-and-a-half to the knee injury he suffered right before the 2016 campaign.

He'll serve as a backup to Case Keenum when the Vikings play the Washington Redskins on Sunday, and he's looking forward to his first opportunity to take the field again after a long struggle to come back.

"Once I get out there in between those lines I have no regrets, no doubt. I'm just out there living my dream," Bridgewater said before Thursday's practice. "There was a time when the dream died, but the dream is still alive."

He said he's keeping those who supported his journey at the front of his mind.

"Getting back out there, this is not only about me, this is about the people who counted me in. There were a bunch of people who counted me out, outside of this building and things like that," Bridgewater said.

"But, at the end of the day, it's about going out there and competing for these guys in this locker room and all the people who counted me in."

Bridgewater was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft, but his next game will be just his 30th regular-season NFL contest. He's especially excited to rejoin his teammates.

"It's always hard when the guys are going to work and you have to go in the opposite direction. It's like when all the kids are going to P.E. and you have to go to detention or something like that," Bridgewater laughed. "It was hard, especially being a competitor and knowing how much these guys mean to me.

"I kinda didn't like the fact that I couldn't be out there, but I couldn't do anything about it but put my head down and continue to work hard."

In Bridgewater's absence this season, the Vikings compiled a 6-2 record to grab the top seed in the NFC North.