As Cameron Smith walked onto the practice field Tuesday, he turned to fellow Vikings linebackers and remarked how this was the first real, padded football he would play since January 2020.
Vikings camp observations: Linebacker Cameron Smith declares himself 'officially back'
During the first padded practice of camp Tuesday, Smith collided with fullback C.J. Ham and shed any lingering questions about last year's open-heart surgery.
August 4, 2021 at 1:21AM
The first big hit with a surgically-repaired heart? That came on the second play as coaches opened full-team drills at the goal line, where Smith collided with fullback C.J. Ham and shed any lingering questions about last year's operation.
"Got a nice hit on C.J.," Smith said, "and it felt really good. It felt like that's what I needed to feel, like, 'All right, now I'm officially back.'"
Smith, the third-year linebacker who missed last season after open-heart surgery, had a thin padding protecting his sternum attached to his shoulder pads. But Smith said the extra padding was more mental protection than physical, and has deemed it unnecessary after a successful day of hitting and tackling.
"I really plan on going in there saying, 'Take it off, I'm fine,'" Smith said. "From the beginning, they said my sternum would be stronger than before you came in here, so I wasn't worried about it. Just the mental part, and now I'm feeling good."
And feeling invigorated by being very much a part of the Vikings' veteran-laden defense. The 24-year-old Smith has rotated with Nick Vigil in taking first-team reps to compete for the opening at weak-side linebacker.
"That's a huge part of it, just almost being, as a distraction, focused on and motivated to compete for that spot," Smith said. "It's a great way to get back into it. It helps the motivation, the drive, having fun with it. It's just good to be back."
- The same four players did not practice: left tackle Christian Darrisaw (groin), center Cohl Cabral (undisclosed), guard Wyatt Davis (undisclosed) and tight end Tyler Conklin (ankle). Receiver Dede Westbrook (knee) and nose tackle Michael Pierce (calf) remain limited and held out of team drills. Swing tackle Rashod Hill returned from a one-day absence in team work and resumed his role as the starting left tackle.
- Competitive spirits were boosted by the first padded practice Tuesday, which saw corners Bashaud Breeland and Kris Boyd jawing with receivers Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and tight end Irv Smith Jr. between periods.
- Kicker Greg Joseph had a strong day, converting 6 of 7 field goal attempts, including both tries from beyond 50 yards. Joseph's only miss was wide right from 47 yards. His long of 52 yards came at the end of the daily situational drill.
- Quarterback Jake Browning completed another successful situational drill. Coaches put the offense in a 17-17 tie game with about 40 seconds left from around their own 30-yard line. As the only quarterback who knows the playbook available, Browning completed just two passes; the second of which was a deep sideline shot to receiver Adam Thielen, who adjusted to the slightly underthrown ball for the catch over cornerback Patrick Peterson. After two handoffs, Browning tried the deep ball again to Thielen, but Peterson almost intercepted the off-target pass.
- Browning's best pass was a similar go ball to rookie Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who didn't have to adjust as the ball was perfectly placed over the shoulder as he was covered by cornerback Dylan Mabin. Browning also sailed a couple throws and was criticized by coach Mike Zimmer for throwing away a goal-line pass into the end-zone turf instead of up and away where it couldn't get intercepted.
- Defensive end Danielle Hunter gave Hill, currently the left tackle at camp, a congratulatory tap on the helmet after Hill stymied Hunter to start the day's 1-on-1 pass-rushing drills. Right tackle Brian O'Neill got another win for the O-line shortly after when he threw defensive end Stephen Weatherly to the ground.
- Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko stayed after practice to work with new quarterbacks Case Cookus and Danny Etling. Cookus, who signed Monday, has been limited to handoffs in team drills. Etling, practicing for the first time after being claimed off waivers from the Seahawks, had a rough passing drill when linebacker Tuf Borland deflected a pass and safety Luther Kirk intercepted another.
Andrew Krammer is joined by Matthew Coller of Purple Insider to discuss the Vikings offense, what they think of Justin Fields and the Bears, and they talk what's been expected and unexpected through four games.
