EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings began training camp trying to figure out which three linebackers they would use in their base defense and which two they'd put in their nickel package. It appears they're going to end the preseason still combing through their options. Or rather, they could be keeping those options open because they have enough depth to do so.

Coach Mike Zimmer said Monday he had no problem with the idea of rotating linebackers in different packages, even if that means "one guy plays all three downs or one guy plays one down." Essentially, if the Vikings have a number of players they like, Zimmer isn't afraid to put some of them in specialized roles, even if it comes at the expense of continuity.

"We're just trying to get the correct matchups, the best situation for us defensively," Zimmer said. "We rotate defensive line, so I don't know why it's a big issue to rotate linebackers. If we have enough quality to do that, that's important. We're not going to rotate defensive linemen [if] we don't feel like the guys we put in there are ready to go and vice versa for the linebackers."

The Vikings started Gerald Hodges at middle linebacker in the base defense Saturday night in Dallas and played rookie Eric Kendricks with Anthony Barr in the nickel. Zimmer said they would keep evaluating their options Thursday night in Tennessee and seemed pleased with how both Hodges and Kendricks played.

"I thought they both did well," Zimmer said. "Kendricks, he makes a bunch of plays, Hodges had four tackles in the number of plays that he was in. We'll take another look at it this week and see where it goes."

If Hodges and Kendricks are involved with the Vikings' linebacker rotation in some capacity, it would give the team a more athletic group of linebackers than it's had in years. The Vikings could also pave the way for a future with Kendricks on the weak side and Hodges in the middle, though that's probably a year away.

For now, Zimmer said, he's more concerned with putting playmakers on the field than he is about anything else.

"I'm trying to get the best guys on the field at certain times and intangibles don't really mean too much to me," he said. "It's more about performance and about getting the guys who are out there the best at that time."