Viking tight end Irv Smith Jr. spoke after Friday night's preseason finale in Kansas City about a potentially "scary" lineup set to be unleashed for the Vikings offense. He'd played 11 of 12 snaps with the first-team offense in two series against the Chiefs — leading the way by catching both of his targets for 39 yards — before taking a seat in the 28-25 loss. There was no indication he wouldn't be part of that Week 1 lineup on Sept. 12 in Cincinnati.
Report: Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. to undergo knee surgery, miss start of season
The third-year tight end is reportedly expected to undergo knee surgery that will sideline him for the start of the regular season.
August 30, 2021 at 9:55AM
But Smith reportedly will miss "at least the start of the regular season," according to NFL Media, as he's expected to undergo knee surgery to fix a meniscus injury. The Vikings had no media access Sunday; coach Mike Zimmer is scheduled to give a news conference on Monday morning.
Smith, a 2019 second-round pick, was a strong candidate for a breakout season as he stepped into a starting role vacated by Kyle Rudolph this offseason. Further boosting expectations was Smith's strong training camp in which he was a go-to target for quarterback Kirk Cousins and the play-action passing game.
Smith offered no indication after Friday's game that anything was wrong with his health, walking away from the podium without issue after projecting optimism about a struggling
offense that played without running back Dalvin Cook and receiver Justin Jefferson during a winless preseason.
"I think it's going to be very scary, honestly," Smith said of the Vikings offense. "We have a lot of talent on this offense. We're just excited to get to it. It's been a long camp. Now, we're almost to that time."
The Vikings offense will have to wait a little longer before it can be at full strength. Smith's injury moves No. 2 tight end Tyler Conklin into a starting role. Conklin hasn't played this preseason while dealing with a hamstring injury. The Vikings also have Brandon Dillon, rookie fifth-round pick Zach Davidson and undrafted rookie Shane Zylstra at the position.
