Before Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. returned to the practice fields at TCO Performance Center on Wednesday, he displayed new artwork on his neck and his left hand that, to him, is emblematic of a fresh start this season.
Tight end Irv Smith Jr. back on the field with Vikings, healthy and with new tattoos
Irv Smith Jr. returned to the practice fields at TCO Performance Center, showing off new artwork on his neck and his left hand and talking about what they mean.
July 28, 2022 at 12:20PM
"I got a couple tattoos," Smith said. "The butterfly, kind of like a rebirth. I got my mom on my neck right here, so she's always with me. I got the Hulk on my hand right here, so we 'bout to smash on folks."
Smith worked briefly with a member of the Vikings training staff at the start of Wednesday's practice, but the 23-year-old otherwise seemed unencumbered a day after head coach Kevin O'Connell said he'd be a "full" go to start camp almost a year after undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
Smith said he can now run routes and block with full confidence in his right knee.
"This process, it's been long, for sure," Smith said. "It's been 11 months now since I had surgery, so honestly, I just would take it one day at a time. I really couldn't tell you, OK, this is the day that I felt like I'm 100 percent. It was more just putting in the work every single day, and I just got comfortable and confident in myself."
The prolonged absence led to Smith becoming a little leaner – "not too much," he said – as he prepares to align all over the formations in O'Connell's offense.
"I feel like I got faster, honestly, through this process," Smith said. "Just giving my whole body a reset. I've never really had this kind of break before."
Count receiver Justin Jefferson among Smith's cheering section.
"Definitely missed him last year," Jefferson said. "He had a hell of a training camp last year to start us off, so definitely excited to have him back on the team. He's gonna be a big part of our team."
Moving targets
Receiver K.J. Osborn was also back on the practice field after missing time in spring practices with an undisclosed injury. The third-year receiver said his goal is to be a "complete" target for quarterback Kirk Cousins, who could be operating in an offense that moves receivers around more.
"Probably," Osborn said. "[O'Connell], man, he's such a smart guy. He does so much, and that helps us out. It's a lot of learning, but it's fun, though. You get that passion about the game to learn. You hear these guys speak about all the different things we can do, and how multiple we can be with all the weapons we have."
Repairing the run defense
Coordinator Ed Donatell's defense frequently has featured two deep safeties during early practices, which has defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson preparing to handle opposing running games without immediate extra help from the secondary. The Vikings ranked 29th last year, allowing 4.7 yards per run.
"We have to be more stout in the running game, because there's one less person," Tomlinson said. "Some of the times, it might be a disguise and things like that, so it helps us up front for [the offense] to think we're in two-deep, but we're not."
Etc.
- Cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., the second-round pick, said he's fully recovered from the sports hernia surgery this spring that limited him in earlier practices. "Spent most of my summer here," Booth said, "so able to get great work in and now I'm 100 percent ready to go."
- Linebacker Jordan Hicks was the only player absent from the first training camp practice Wednesday. Hicks, the ex-Cardinals defender who signed in free agency, was kept home with a non-COVID illness for "precautionary reasons," according to the team.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
