EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The first time Lewis Kelly tried to return to football, he just wasn't ready. But on Monday, after two more weeks of grieving the death of his wife and unborn child, Kelly rejoined his Minnesota Vikings teammates.

"I gave myself a two-week goal to see if I could recover from it,'' Kelly said. "I've just got to realize I'm going to deal with this for awhile before I can move on.''

Kelly's wife, Rakiva, who was four months pregnant, died Aug. 25 of a rare blood disorder. Kelly returned to practice Sept. 2, the week of Minnesota's season opener, but he called coach Mike Tice the next night to tell him he needed more time to recover.

The Vikings received a special roster exemption for Kelly, who was supposed to start at left tackle with rookie Bryant McKinnie holding out. To make room for Kelly, they released lineman Mike Malano.

"It was a blessing,'' Kelly said. "I really needed time.''

Veteran Everett Lindsay started the first two games, but he left Sunday's loss to Buffalo in the second quarter with back spasms, and Adam Haayer had to fill in.

It's unclear who will start at left tackle against Carolina this weekend. "We'll figure that out when Wednesday comes,'' Tice said. "The guy lined up there first Wednesday will be the guy lined up there first Sunday.''

But the Vikings are just happy to have their teammate back.

"We're glad Lewis feels good enough to be back,'' center Matt Birk said. "It's nice to see him around, because he's such a great guy.''

Kelly's stock rose with a solid season in NFL Europe, and he admitted part of his motivation for coming back was to avoid stopping his development as a player short.

"I know if I was a better player, a Pro Bowl player or something, with a lot of money under my belt, I probably wouldn't have come back this year,'' Kelly said. "But I was starting to have a little success so I felt like I should try to come back.

"I just had to get back to the point in my mind where I could concentrate on football. It was just something I prayed about. The Lord gave me strength.''

Kelly is a little concerned about getting back into shape.

"I worked out a little bit, but nothing can prepare you for playing football like playing football,'' he said.

His biggest hurdle, though, will be an emotional one.

"I just have to push through it,'' Kelly said. "That's a big part of my life missing. I guess I could try to dedicate the season to her, but that wouldn't be enough.''