The Vikings plan to increase John Carlson's snap count in Week 2 and going forward.

Carlson missed much of camp with a knee injury and played only 18 snaps in Week 1. "We want to get him more involved this week," coach Leslie Frazier said. "That will be the goal and we'll see how the game goes, but we feel like he is past the injury point." Carlson's return could remove some of the blocking load from Kyle Rudolph. The Vikings fancy Carlson as an in-line tight end.

John Carlson (knee) is practicing fully this week.

Carlson missed the entire preseason, but is ready to roll for Week 1. At least for the time being, he's off the fantasy radar behind ascendant second-year pro Kyle Rudolph.

Vikings TE John Carlson (knee) remains on track to play in Week 1.

Carlson missed the majority of the preseason due to a sprained MCL in his right knee. He's still getting comfortable both physically and with the playbook, so we wouldn't expect a major Week 1 role. Kyle Rudolph projects as the every-down tight end in Minnesota.

Vikings TE John Carlson (knee) has resumed practicing and remains on track for Week 1.

Carson needed all four weeks to recover from his 2-4 week MCL sprain, but he'll be good to go against the Jaguars. He's not on the fantasy radar this season.

John Carlson (knee) still has not resumed practicing.

Carlson is 3 1/2 weeks into a 2-4 week timetable. At this point, he's just trying to get himself ready for Week 1 as a complement to rising stud Kyle Rudolph. "We have a plan in place and we look forward to putting it into action," said OC Bill Musgrave But it's still speculative at this point until [Carlson] gets out there."

John Carlson was spotted jogging Monday for the first time since sustaining his knee injury on July 31.

John Carlson (sprained MCL) is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.

Carlson was watching practice Wednesday with his right knee heavily bandaged and braced. It's a nice boost for Kyle Rudolph, but Carlson's timetable puts him back well before Week 1. The Vikings open up against the Jaguars on September 9.

Vikings TE John Carlson is expected to be sidelined a few weeks after sustaining a sprained MCL in Tuesday's practice.

Carlson will be sent for an MRI to determine the severity, but the Vikings don't believe it's a full tear. Kyle Rudolph had already emerged as Christian Ponder's favorite target early in camp. Carlson's absence may serve to exaggerate that reliance on Rudolph, generating momentum heading into the season. Rudolph is knocking on the door to TE1 territory while Carlson is undraftable in fantasy leagues.

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave had high praise for TE John Carlson's ability in the red zone.

Carlson is expected to serve as the in-line tight end as the Vikings pair him with Kyle Rudolph. He did have 12 touchdowns during his first two NFL seasons. "In the red zone, he has a sense for zone and an ability to slide into an opening and then make a tough, contested catch," Musgrave said. Still, we don't see Carlson getting enough targets between the 20s to be a fantasy asset.

Vikings signed TE John Carlson, formerly of the Seahawks, to a five-year, $25 million deal.

The deal reportedly includes $11 million guaranteed. It's a shocking contract for a player who missed all of 2011 with a shoulder injury, especially since the Vikings had seemed to discover a full-time player in Kyle Rudolph. Minnesota was likely forced to overpay for a player it wanted after Carlson reportedly received interest from "at least" eight teams. The deal dampens Rudolph's outlook in dynasty leagues, and doesn't revive Carlson's as much as landing somewhere like the Giants would have. The Vikes can be expected to run a host of two-TE sets in 2012.

ESPN.com's Bill Williamson reports free agent TE John Carlson is expected to sign with the Vikings.

Free agent TE John Carlson will reportedly visit with the Vikings on Wednesday.

Carlson already has three visits scheduled, and thesidelineview.com's Adam Caplan hears there are eight teams interested altogether. The Vikings and Chiefs view apparently view Carlson as the No. 2 in two-tight end sets whereas he would step in as the starter in Indy.

In addition to the Chiefs, free agent TE John Carlson has reportedly scheduled a visit with the Colts.

Carlson is a more well-rounded player with better after-catch ability than Jacob Tamme, who was allowed to hit free agency in Indy. The Colts and Chiefs are competing with a handful of other teams for the 27-year-old tight end.

Free agent TE John Carlson will reportedly visit the Chiefs.

The Chiefs would pair Carlson with Tony Moeaki, who is coming off a torn ACL. According to the thesidelineview.com's Adam Caplan, Carlson is also drawing interest from the Colts, Bucs, Bears, Seahawks, and Cowboys.

The New York Post believes the Giants should pursue free agent TE John Carlson.

It's a natural fit. Although Carlson is still recovering from the torn labrum that cost him all of 2011, he'd likely excel in a Giants offense that typically features at least one catch-first tight end. With both Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum in danger of missing 2012 with torn ACLs, the G-Men will certainly be in the market for a player of Carlson's ilk.

ESPN's John Clayton gets the feeling free agent TE John Carlson might return to the Seahawks after all.

"If he were 100 percent healthy he would be gone. 100 percent gone," said Clayton. "There's not a lot of great-looking tight ends in this market. You know he can start. You know he can be good. And so if he were 100 percent coming off that torn labrum then maybe it would be a different story."

The Chicago Tribune floats the idea of the Bears pursuing free agent TE John Carlson.

Carlson was originally drafted by recently departed Bears exec Tim Ruskell and played under new QBs coach Jeremy Bates in Seattle. The Browns and Giants have also been linked to Carlson. We suspect the Bears will lean toward re-signing Kellen Davis instead.

Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel passes along league-wide buzz that the Browns are a likely landing spot for free agent TE John Carlson.

Connecting the dots is easy, as Browns president Mike Holmgren had Carlson as his starter in Seattle. Holmgren already has four tight ends under contract for 2012, however. Kelly suggests the Browns could immediately turn their moribund offense around by signing Matt Flynn and drafting RB Trent Richardson and WR Michael Floyd in the first round.

Coach Pete Carroll indicated the Seahawks will make a push to re-sign impending free agent TE John Carlson this offseason.

We fail to see how it makes sense to have Zach Miller and Carlson "going at it" next season, as Carroll suggests, if the position is an afterthought in the passing game despite the heavy usage of two-tight end sets. Carlson, who needs at least two more months of rehab on his shoulder, would be better served getting his career back on track elsewhere.

Impending free agent TE John Carlson confirmed his shoulder will be healthy for 2012 after missing the season with a torn labrum.

"My shoulder is repaired," he said. "I feel really good right now. I'm almost to the four-month mark. I'm not ready to play football yet, but it's coming along." The 38th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Carlson may search the open market for a one-year, "prove-it" deal. While he struggles as a blocker, Carlson could be a nice pickup as a catch-first tight end on the cheap.