MANKATO, Minn. -- After a long conversation with Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress, E.J. Henderson left for Mankato on Thursday feeling optimistic he'd be cleared for at least partial participation when practice begins at 4 p.m. Friday.

"Of course, the decision is his," Henderson said on Thursday as players moved into their training-camp home on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato.

"Hopefully ... we're leaning towards start off slow and gradually increase the work that I do. That's what I would like. We had that conversation (Wednesday). So, it's up to him and the trainers what we do."

It would be the latest step in the veteran middle linebacker's remarkably speedy recovery from the gruesome fractured femur he sustained in early December.

Doctors inserted a titanium rod to stabilize the leg, and Henderson -- who turns 30 on Tuesday -- quickly got ahead of schedule in his recovery. By early June, he had pronounced he'd be "ready to rock" for training camp, and he participated in individual and group drills during minicamp.

"I feel anxious. I feel ready to get out there, ready to cut it loose," Henderson said. "With this femur injury, it's not like I have a lot of pain afterwards or lingering effects. It's healed. It feels good. So, I think once I get back out there, get in the swing of things, catch up on some reps, I'll be ready to go."

Henderson said he doesn't anticipate any equipment changes to protect the injury, except perhaps a thicker thigh pad.

Whether Henderson is in uniform for practice or not, second-year pro Jasper Brinkley surely will get a large percentage of reps in the early going.

Several other players with uncertain injury status -- including cornerback Cedric Griffin (knee reconstruction) and receiver Sidney Rice (hip) -- weren't seen during the 3 hours reporters were allowed near the dorm.

Cook's healthy

Top draft pick Chris Cook said the hamstring injury that sidelined him for most of minicamp is a nonissue and he expects to practice on Friday.

Cook arrived in Mankato on a bus with a bunch of other rookies hours after agreeing to a four-year contract.

"I wasn't really worried about that," Cook said. "I knew it was going to get done. I was just ready to come out and perform and get ready to get on the field. I've been waiting for a while."

Gerhart absent

Cook's deal left only fellow second-round draft pick Toby Gerhart without a deal as of late Thursday.

According to NFL sources, progress was limited in negotiations on Thursday. There remained optimism the running back would sign and arrive in time for practice -- at least in part because the players drafted on either side of Gerhart at No. 51 both have signed -- but the sides were not close.

Gerhart missed most of the offseason program because he was finishing school at Stanford, increasing the importance of not missing any more reps in training camp.

The only other player not expected to make the 9 p.m. reporting deadline was quarterback Brett Favre, who hasn't announced whether he'll play a 20th NFL season.

Quick hits

• Reviews were positive of players' new living quarters at Julia A. Sears Residence Hall, a newer building that offers players something they never had at Gage Hall: air-conditioning. "I like it," said Henderson, who is sharing a suite with Kevin Williams. "It's a step up from Gage."

• Reporters only were allowed to stand outside the dorm until 7, at which point many veterans had yet to report.

• Childress was seen entering the building but wasn't scheduled to speak with reporters until before Friday's practice.