"It felt good to get out here and do a little something," Jackson said.

Hurt in Minnesota's preseason game at Baltimore on Aug. 16, Jackson was held out of the last game against Pittsburgh and also appears headed for another game on the sideline Thursday at Dallas.

"I think you need to weigh what's best for the team in the long run," offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. "You can't make a decision on a one-game basis. You have to look at the whole season as a whole and make that decision based on that."

The Vikings open the regular season at Green Bay on Sept. 8. Jackson promised he'll be ready by then, but acknowledged Monday he still has work to do to get there.

"I haven't really pushed to the point where I'd be able to tell," he said. "Just take it day by day."

Jackson is wearing a brace and has not participated in team drills since the injury.

This is the fifth injury of his three-year career. He missed 4 1/2 games last season due to a concussion, a broken finger and a strained groin.

"Ligaments and cartilage, stuff like that, you really can't control that," Jackson said. "So I really don't care about that label at all."

He might have to be more cautious when he scrambles, but he was defiant when asked about changing his running style.

"Nah. I'm not sliding," he said.