Bridgewater back at practice

Vikings players returned to Winter Park on Tuesday morning, five days after their humbling prime-time loss to the Green Bay Packers, and were welcomed back by an encouraging sight.

Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater taped up the left ankle he sprained on Sept. 28, tugged on his red noncontact jersey and joined the Vikings at practice. In the early portion open to media, Bridgewater tossed passes to teammates in individual drills without showing signs of discomfort.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer wouldn't say whether he expects Bridgewater to start against the Detroit Lions on Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium. But he did not seem to be too concerned about his quarterback.

"He's fine," Zimmer said. "Yeah, he's all right."

Matt Kalil knew he was struggling earlier this season. Through the first three games, the Vikings left tackle had allowed a league-high 14 pressures and got beaten for a pair of sacks in a Week 3 loss to the Patriots. Kalil knew his opponents could sense his confidence was waning a little bit.

"At left tackle, you get beat and you get down on yourself, those guys smell that blood," Kalil said.

After the Patriots game, Kalil got a phone call from his brother, Ryan, a center for the Panthers. Ryan knew his younger brother would be down after that performance and called to offer support.

The words of wisdom from afar helped, but more importantly, Matt Kalil said he cleared a mental roadblock that had been affecting his play. Kalil had offseason knee surgery, forcing him to miss OTAs. He said he was "probably still lagging a little bit" in training camp and the preseason and did not play up to his expectations. When Week 1 rolled around, he still wasn't feeling like himself.

"I'd get beat because I wasn't back to where I was. My confidence kind of diminished a little bit," Kalil said. "But I've had a few good games in a row now. I'm building that confidence back up."

In the past two weeks, Kalil allowed no sacks, one quarterback hit and four hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. The five total pressures are still not ideal for a blindside protector. But the numbers suggest Kalil, named to the 2012 Pro Bowl, might be heading in the right direction.

"[It was] just a mental thing. My knee is fine," Kalil said. "I just had to get past that block and once I did, it's kind of getting a little easier now. And that's a good thing."

Safety Harrison Smith did not practice Tuesday after injuring his left ankle against the Packers. Zimmer declined to speak specifically about injuries but said he could have an update on Smith, who was on crutches and wearing a walking boot Friday, before Wednesday's practice.

Smith is tied for the NFL lead with three interceptions and has broken up a team-high six passes.

"People get hurt all the time in the NFL. It's a long season, but it would be big [if Smith misses time]," cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said. "Harrison is a great football player and a great person, and I need him back there."

Wide receiver Jarius Wright (personal reason), outside linebacker Chad Greenway (broken ribs) and tight end Kyle Rudolph (sports hernia surgery) also missed practice.

The Vikings added quarterback Chandler Harnish, wide receiver Donte Foster and safety Pierre Warren to their practice squad and released quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson.

Harnish, a third-year pro out of Northern Illinois, backed up Christian Ponder against the Packers. Harnish was signed to the practice squad last week and promoted to the 53-man roster — instead of Bethel-Thompson — on game day. He did not play in the game and was waived the following day, with the hope of bringing him back to the practice squad.

Foster, whom the Vikings signed as a rookie free agent after he went undrafted out of Ohio, was with the team throughout training camp and the preseason and had previously been on the practice squad.

Warren, an undrafted rookie from Jacksonville State, spent the preseason with the New Orleans Saints.