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Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd played 25 snaps in the 2016 opener and then missed the rest of the season with a knee injury that has yet to resolve itself.

Floyd has not been able to resume running and said Wednesday that he is dealing with a nerve issue that is affecting his right quad’s ability to work properly. The nature of the injury and the length of Floyd’s absence may have some wondering if he’ll be able to rejoin the team for the regular season, but the 2013 first-rounder is optimistic.

“It’s not a matter of if,” Floyd said, via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. “It’s a matter of when.”

The Vikings likely share that hope, but they can’t really build a plan that involves a major role for a player who can’t run at this point in the calendar. They drafted Jaleel Johnson in the fourth round and signed Will Sutton to fill out the defensive tackle group in the event they do have to continue playing without Floyd.