Halfway through Sunday's Vikings practice, cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Harrison Smith emerged from TCO Performance Center and joined teammates for full-team drills.
What appeared to be the veterans' scheduled day off turned out to be just a half day, a measure by coach Kevin O'Connell to take care of his experienced starters and one that Peterson, the 32-year-old All-Pro corner, said is helping him "feel great" entering his 12th NFL season.
Peterson, who has thrived in man-to-man coverage for much of his career, also said playing in coordinator Ed Donatell's zone-heavy defense will limit his mileage.