Vikings Officially Activate Adrian Peterson

We’ve been hearing it for days, but now it’s official: Adrian Peterson is back. The Vikings announced (via Twitter) that the star running back has been activated from the injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the team has waived defensive tackle Toby Johnson.

Peterson returned to practice this week, making him the Vikings’ designated player to return from IR. Yesterday, the 31-year-old declared that he was ready to play this weekend against the Colts. Sunday will be Peterson’s first game since September, when the running back was sidelined with a torn meniscus. Up to that point in the season, Peterson had only run for 50 yards on 31 carries. Of course, the 10-year veteran is one of the most productive running backs in NFL history. In fact, Peterson led the NFL with 1,485 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns in 2015.

“I’m extremely hungry to get out there and help these guys win. That’s what it’s all about,” Peterson said (via Craig Peters of Vikings.com). “That’s why I do it.

“It’s not for yards or anything like that. It’s for the guys in this locker room, the sweat during training camp and OTAs,” Peterson added. “We’re brothers, we’re family. We spend so much time with each other, even more than with family, so the reason I’ve fought so hard to get back is for the guys like Chad Greenway, B-Rob (Brian Robison), Terence Newman, all of these guys in this locker room, including the coaching staff.”

The Vikings could certainly use some help, as the team has dropped six of their past eight games after opening the season 5-0. While Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon have filled in admirably during Peterson’s absence, the Vikings still rank last in rushing yards this season (954).

Johnson was added to the team’s active roster earlier this week after the team placed defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd on the injured reserve. The 25-year-old has been on the team’s practice squad all season, and he’ll presumably rejoin the organization if he clears waivers.