Some potentially ominous news out of the Minnesota Vikings' practice Monday: Defensive tackle Kevin Williams is scheduled to see a foot specialist after a nagging injury appeared to cause him significant problems in last Saturday's preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Williams didn't play in the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans and then left Saturday's game after one series. Monday, coach Leslie Frazier said: "He really struggled in the snaps that he had on Saturday with that foot."

Frazier said the team will decide how to move forward after getting the specialist's report. Williams downplayed the injury, saying he reported to training camp "in the best shape of my life." He also presumably will have to serve a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on banned substances, but the league hasn't confirmed that.

There is no sense in speculating on the nature of Williams' injury, but suffice it to say, the worst-case scenario would sideline him for much longer than four games. The Vikings signed free agent Remi Ayodele to play alongside him at nose tackle, but at this point they would be looking at Fred Evans and Letroy Guion as replacements if Williams is sidelined for any length of time. Stay tuned.