Questions Answered: Irv Panic, Nwangwu’s Injury, Bears OT on Trade Market
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the August 2nd edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
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Q: I know Irv Smith is supposed to be ready for the regular season after his thumb injury, but shouldn’t the Vikings sign a veteran TE just in case?
A: Yes, they should. The only reason they will not is that they feel someone in the mix of Johnny Mundt, Ben Ellefson, Zach Davison, Nick Muse, or Shaun Beyer is ready for TE1 duties. From that fivesome, it’s probably Mundt based on his early performance at training camp.
Regardless, Smith’s thumb injury should convince the Vikings to explore signing a veteran like Eric Ebron. He wouldn’t be too expensive and has vast starting experience.
If the Vikings were rebuilding with eyes on a 6-11 season or so, let it ride. Alas, they are not — and would be wise to sign a more prominent TE2.
Q: Is the Kene Nwangwu injury something that will linger?
A: No. Nwangwu should be back at camp in a couple of days.
Listen, this is training camp. Big and little injuries arise. The Denver Broncos lost two players for the season on Tuesday. It was a little weird that the Vikings had so few injuries rolling into this week. Normative NFL happenings caught up with them. Smith and Nwangwu should be fine before too long.
Unfortunately, this is standard operating procedure in the NFL.
Q: Should the Vikings have interest in Teven Jenkins from the Chicago Bears, who is apparently on the trade block?
A: No. Jenkins is a struggle merchant, and the Vikings already have plenty of tackles.
Plus, the Bears won’t trade him to the Vikings even if Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was interested. Aside from the 2022 NFL Draft, intradivision trades are rare.
The Vikings have Brian O’Neill, Christian Darrisaw, Jesse Davis, and Oli Udoh. They don’t need Jenkins and his 47.5 Pro Football Focus score.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).