Ben Goessling, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Vikings sign Chandler Harnish from practice squad in case Teddy Bridgewater can't go

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Well, the QB move we were discussing this morning has indeed happened. The Minnesota Vikings announced a few minutes ago they've signed quarterback Chandler Harnish from their practice squad, waiving receiver Rodney Smith to make room for him. While the move doesn't necessarily mean the Vikings will sit Teddy Bridgewater with a sprained left ankle on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, it would indicate the Vikings aren't confident enough in his status to avoid hedging their bets.

If Bridgewater were going to play, he'd start. If the Vikings didn't feel comfortable putting him on the field, they wouldn't want to expose themselves to a scenario where he'd have to enter the game if Christian Ponder was injured. That's why Harnish is on the roster -- to give the Vikings a healthy backup QB in the event Ponder starts. If Bridgewater is healthy enough to play, it'd be easy enough to deactivate Harnish, start Bridgewater and go into the game with Ponder as his backup. But I can't see a scenario where Bridgewater is active and not starting.

We'll get a definitive answer on his status by 6:55 ET/5:55 CT, when inactives are announced, and we could get an early glimpse of how he looks if the Vikings bring him out for warmups or an early workout before the game. The decision to add Harnish to the active roster, though, indicates that at the very least, Bridgewater starting against the Packers is in some doubt.

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