Carolina rookie quarterback Bryce Young returned to practice Wednesday after having to sit out all last week because of an ankle injury.

Barring a setback, Young — who missed the Panthers’ previous game against Seattle — is expected to start Carolina’s 1 p.m. home game Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

Young was listed as a full participant in the Panthers’ post-practice team report and took all the reps that the No. 1 QB would normally take. Panthers coach Frank Reich said Young looked determined and energetic in practice and is trending toward starting Sunday.

“Just have to make sure there’s no major setbacks, no flare-ups,” Reich said. “But, if he stays on track, then I think things are headed in the right direction.”

Reich had said he is happy with the way Young dealt with his ankle rehabilitation.

“He obviously wants to be out there,” the coach said of the overall No. 1 draft pick. “And we want him out there, as long as he’s ready to go and play winning football.. … Credit to Bryce for being ready. I mean really, at the beginning, we were thinking one to two weeks — thinking it could be more two (games that Young would miss). But he’s done everything he can do to get back here.”

Reich cautioned, however, that the doctors, coaches and Young will wait to see how the ankle responds to practicing all week before committing to who will start.

Everyone is in agreement the QB1 job will be Young’s when he returns, though.

“This is Bryce’s thing,” backup quarterback Andy Dalton said last week.

Reich said Young wouldn’t have to be 100% to play, however.

“We’re going to get to the point here in the year where there’s probably few players that are 100% anymore,” Reich said. “So it doesn’t have to be 100%, but he just needs to be able to function and play winning football. And again, that will come down to asking him how he feels, watching him on the practice field, talking to the doctors and trainers and looking at how his ankle responds. You know, I’m not fretting over it. It’s gonna play itself out, and we’re confident however, it plays itself out.”

Young started the first two games for Carolina, but then missed the Week 3 game at Seattle because of an ankle injury.

Dalton started that game for Carolina, throwing for 361 yards on a career-high 58 attempts in a 37-27 loss. He didn’t turn the ball over. Winless Carolina and Minnesota face off at 1 p.m.

Thielen: No ‘grudges’ against Vikings

One of the big pregame storylines this week is wide receiver Adam Thielen playing against his old Minnesota team. Thielen played his first nine years with the Vikings and became a fan favorite there. However, Minnesota released him in March, and he signed with the Panthers a few days later. Thielen, 33, quickly has become the Panthers’ top receiver, with 145 yards and a touchdown against Seattle. Now Thielen is game-planning against the same players he shared a locker room with for years.

“It’s already been a little bit weird, honestly,” Thielen said.

Does he feel the need for a little vengeance Sunday vs. the Vikings?

“It’s really hard to explain kind of the emotions of everything,” Thielen said. “Is there a little bit? Yeah, maybe. But I’m not the type of person to hold grudges. I just think that it just is what it is, right? And I’m I’m happy where I’m at. … I can’t look at the past. I’m just focusing on the now. But yeah, I mean, there’s a lot of emotions, right? We’re emotional beings. … But really, I’m trying to be just the same person every single day and focus on where I’m at.”

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