Irv Smith Jr. Out Indefinitely
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings got some bad news on Sunday as it appears that Irv Smith Jr. will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus. The news was broken by Tom Pelissero via Twitter on Sunday afternoon.
Obviously, this is not an ideal situations for the young tight end as he seemed on the verge of a breakout season. The third-year player spent his first two seasons in the NFL backing up Kyle Rudolph, but following an injury, Smith found himself earning the majority of the snaps at tight end. He played in 13 games last season and recorded 30 receptions, 365 yards, and five TDs.
As the Vikings do not have a clear WR3 option at this point, Smith was expected to be the Vikings number three target this year behind Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. The Minnesota offense has been very favorable to tight ends as well, often running plays with two playing simultaneously.
Presumably, most of these snaps left on the table by Smith should fall to Tyler Conklin. Conklin showed flashes out of the position last season during Rudolph’s absence as well, but he has been dealing with injury the past couple weeks. As his status remains unclear, the remaining depth becomes very murky.
The two players that have earned the most playing time at TE during the preseason are Brandon Dillon and Zach Davidson. Dillon had a very nice preseason game this weekend, recording three catches for 31 yards. However, he remains unproven in the regular season. Also entering his third year with the Vikings, Dillon has played just four games, and has just one career reception that went for six yards.
Davidson on the other hand has been very disappointing. The rookie has not been very effective as a receiver nor has he made a positive impact as a blocker. With Smith out, he most likely will remain on the roster though, unless the Vikings can audible to find a veteran replacement in the next couple days.