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The injury news throughout training camp wasn’t horrific for the Vikings, but some bad news came after their third and final preseason game. It was announced that he needed to undergo meniscus surgery earlier in the week, but a report has now come out stating the timetable for his return.
Losing Irv Smith Jr. for the season is a big blow, especially considering the fact that he seemed poised for a breakout season with Kyle Rudolph no longer on the roster.
Instead, it’ll likely be a combination of Tyler Conklin and newly acquired tight end Chris Herndon.
It’s not easy to look at the silver lining when a potential star goes down for the season, but there are still several positives to look forward to. Minnesota went the entire preseason without playing Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook, and Adam Thielen only saw a handful of snaps before getting banged up.
There is still plenty of firepower on the Vikings’ offense, they will just have to get creative with different formations. Mike Zimmer did mention this week that they could run more three wide receiver sets, potentially giving K.J. Osborn, Dede Westbrook or Ihmir Smith-Marsette more chances to see the field.
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