Minnesota Vikings veteran cornerback Nate Hairston has officially been cleared to return to practice.
Last Tuesday, the team made the announcement that they were moving him to the active/non-football injury list. That designation caused him to miss the entire first week of training camp.
On Monday, however, the team announced Hairston was coming off the injury list.
His presence on the field should add to an already competitive cornerback situation. The best opportunity he likely has of sticking on the roster will be through his special teams contributions. An ability to be versatile and contribute at other areas on the field is usually the golden ticket to success when coaches start whittling rosters down.
It also helps that Hairston has experience playing under Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, who spent two years with him at the Denver Broncos.
We’ll see if experience is a factor for Hairston, who has some catching up to do when making his training camp debut.
