EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph said the injury that's been limiting him during the team's offseason program is to his right shoulder. Joseph had surgery in January, he said, and the Vikings knew about it when they signed him to a five-year, $31.5 million contract in March. And while he'll be limited this week during the team's mandatory minicamp, he expects to be 100 percent by training camp at the end of July.
"I'm ready, man," he said. "We'll just wait until the start of training camp [to go all out]. Everything should be cleared up and ready to go."
Joseph has been limited to individual drills during the Vikings' organized team activities, but said he hasn't had much trouble picking up coach Mike Zimmer's defensive system, which shares some similarities to the New York Giants' scheme. The Vikings will ask him to be a fixture on their defensive line, but Joseph said his previous experience with the Giants gave him "a little head start."
"I feel like I'm not too far behind," he said. "I'm just waiting until the start of training camp, to show what I can do."