Players who need to step up

Over his two seasons as a roving receiver/tight end, Smith Jr. was a very effective weapon for quarterback Kirk Cousins. He was targeted 87 times and caught 66 passes between 2019 and 2020 and Cousins posted a 124.5 quarterback rating when targeting the former Alabama tight end.

That was in Stefanski/Kubiak offenses, which are historically friendly to tight ends. While O’Connell’s system is expected to offer plenty of changes, the Vikings’ new head coach said that players with Smith Jr.’s unique skillset at his position transcend systems.

“As far as the verbiage and the terms, all of that will be new,” O’Connell said. “But in a lot of ways, when a guy does things well on a football field, you can translate it to any system, whether it’s being a vertical threat down the field, having a role in the run game. All the different ways we marry the run and the pass, I think Irv has the perfect skillset to play a big role in that. Going back and watching him, I know he was feeling really, really good before the injury last year.”

Adapting to a different offense shouldn’t be an insurmountable challenge for Smith Jr., who has been asked to do a lot of different things in his short football career. He switched offensive coordinators twice in his first two NFL seasons and was asked to line up as a slot receiver on 30% of his snaps and out wide on 13% (per PFF).

“When I was at Alabama, we had I think four different offensive coordinators in the three years I was there,” Smith Jr. said. “So having to learn an offense, total new structure, different schemes somewhere, two tight end heavy offenses, some were one. Some were spread out a lot. So it’s just finding my balance. I’m confident in my abilities. I know my coaches are as well, the players, so anywhere I can fit in and make plays.”

If the Vikings want to grow from where they were offensively last season, they will need Smith Jr. to fit in make plays right away. His replacement Tyler Conklin ranked as PFF’s 14th best receiving tight end, catching 61 passes for 593 yards and three touchdowns. Exceeding those numbers will take Smith Jr. having a pretty good year — and staying healthy. The next man up behind him is currently Johnny Mundt, who has 10 career catches.

Smith Jr. paused to smile several times throughout his comments on Tuesday. He said that he feels like what didn’t break him will make him stronger going into this year.

“Mentally, I was always strong after like before, but coming out of this, it’s made me even stronger,” Smith Jr. said. “I’m excited, just to be back in the building, get back on the field, do what I love and be with my team, they’ve been super supportive of me, and this whole organization, everybody, has been very supportive. So it’s going to be a very fun season, very lit, and it’s going to be cool.”

The success of the Vikings’ offense also hinges on left tackle Christian Darrisaw, a 2021 first-round pick, meeting expectations in Year 2. As a rookie, he started last season inactive due to an injury that required surgery. When he got on the field, the Virginia Tech standout showed flashes of his raw physical ability but also allowed five sacks and graded 39th of 57 in pass blocking by PFF.

“It was definitely rough times and good times,” Darrisaw said. “Just coming into this offseason fully healthy, it's been great. Learning from guys like Brian O'Neill, Jesse Davis, just taking things from them every day and trying to apply it to my game and get better from last year.”

Darrisaw’s rough stretch came mid-season, when he gave up nine QB pressures in a two-week span against Los Angeles and Green Bay and then got hurt against San Francisco in Week 12 and didn’t return until Week 15. But two of his final three games graded above 80 by PFF.

There may not be such a thing as carrying over momentum from season to season but players often take their biggest jump from Year 1 to Year 2. Darrisaw gets an even larger potential boost because he was stunted from the start by injuries last year.

“It's been amazing finally being healthy from the end of the season until now,” Darrisaw said.

As the Vikings showed in 2021, there isn’t much room for error when it comes to injuries on the offensive line. Long time swing tackle Rashod Hill is not returning to the team, moving Oli Udoh into that position. When Udoh was asked to fill in at left tackle for Darrisaw, he graded 40.3 and 28.7 in pass blocking — well, well below average. Darrisaw’s health and development will be vital.

“I knew it was going to be a tough learning curve,” Bynum said. “It was going to take reps, lot of frustration through the process knowing that it’s not going to be perfect from day one. Me being at corner for so long, it felt like I had things figured out, but now going to have to master a whole new craft. Now it’s like, OK, sit back and go through these mistakes, mistakes are good. Now just don’t make the same ones over and over.”

Prior to the season Mike Zimmer called Bynum “brilliant” and his teammates praised the way he adapted to safety. This year he’ll be asked to adjust again, only to Ed Donatell’s defense. Bynum explained that there could be more opportunities to create turnovers for safeties in the new defense.

“It might be more visual on the quarterback, where you don’t have to carry a guy so far across the field, because the backside safety might be able to see him coming and be able to pick it up, so now I can rob a different route,” Bynum explained.

In 2021, the Vikings received quality play from veteran Xavier Woods, who ranked 32nd of 64 safeties by PFF. As they attempt to make big gains on defense this year, they’ll need Bynum to repeat or better Woods’s showing. Bynum said he’s ready.

“I prepared as if I was the starter all [last] year,” he said. “Now that I’ve had a chance to be that, my preparation isn’t going to slip. It’s going to go even higher now.”

Irv Smith Jr. missed the entire 2021 season due to injury, and injuries are not a foreign concept to the young tight end that the Vikings used a second-round selection on in 2019.

Entering his fourth year, Smith has compiled only 66 receptions for 676 yards and seven touchdowns. However, it appears that Minnesota is ready to roll the dice on Smith as the clear-cut No. 1 tight end on the depth chart. Teams can’t predict injuries, but Smith’s history seemingly puts them at a higher risk. That’s the first hurdle for the Vikings after investing so heavily in the former Alabama standout.

The second hurdle is about production.

Through three years, Smith has shown very little to prove he can top a depth chart. The numbers don’t jump out on the page, and the highlight reel doesn’t wow. While it is possible that Smith could stay healthy in 2022 and produce at a high level, the odds of that happening seem very low.

Minnesota’s decision to not address the situation (unless you count using a seventh-round pick on Nick Muse) is peculiar, to say the least. Either the Vikings really believe in Smith’s potential, or they aren’t prioritizing the position. It is still possible they’re looking to add a veteran tight end in free agency.

Tyler Conklin posted 61 receptions for 593 yards and three touchdowns in 2021. He wasn’t some unstoppable force, but he had a very solid year at tight end for the Vikings. His numbers almost mimic what Smith has piled up in his entire career.

But Conklin is gone to the New York Jets, and Minnesota’s stable of tight ends is emptier than ever. Investing in Smith but keeping Conklin as a security blanket would have left Vikings fans feeling a lot more comfortable. Instead, mystery looms.

The best-case scenario for the Vikings is that the runway is cleared for Irv Smith Jr. in 2022, and he excels. If that turns out to be the case, Minnesota’s offense becomes a hell of a lot more dangerous.

That isn’t what the opposition will plan for, though.

Most teams will prepare for Jefferson, Thielen, and Dalvin Cook. If Minnesota has dreams of taking this offense to the next level, they’ll need a tight end who can stretch the field and create mismatches for opposing defenses. On paper, Smith has the tools to be that guy, but it hasn’t been on display in his first three seasons.

Perhaps the Vikings aren’t done looking at the tight end spot. That might be wise. However, if they plan on barrel-rolling into the 2022 campaign with Irv Smith Jr. and no other viable option at tight end, they’ll be taking a big risk that could backfire quickly.