Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith has been dealing with an undisclosed illness for most of the summer and appears poised to be out for the season opener against the Chicago Bears.
Smith, 36, embarks on his 14th and potentially final NFL season with the Vikings after agreeing to a restructured contract in the offseason. However, he has been largely absent from practice all summer due to a “personal health issue.”
While Smith practiced Saturday, September 6, for the first time since August 11, he was listed as doubtful on the Vikings’ final injury report.
“He almost certainly needs more practice and conditioning work before he is ready to play in a game,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote.
Smith is expected to make a full recovery and is not likely to miss significant time. Still, it appears fourth-year safety Theo Jackson will be stepping into a larger role alongside Josh Metellus.
If only replacing Smith were that easy.
Brian Flores Breaks Silence on Potentially Missing Vikings S Harrison Smith
In his Thursday news conference, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores admitted that Smith’s role isn’t quite a one-to-one replacement for Jackson.
“I would say it’s certainly unique to him,” Flores said of Smith’s spot in the defense. “Not to say that we don’t have other highly intelligent, high football IQ guys. Metellus is a guy who comes to mind that plays a lot of different positions. So if we put him in Harry’s [spot], I think he could do that, but [Harrison] is all over the place… There’s a lot of reasons why it’s unique to him, obviously 14 years in the league playing at a high level and just high-level acumen.”
Head coach Kevin O’Connell tempered expectations going into the week, and although Smith has taken steps toward returning, the doubtful designation suggests he most likely will not play in the opener.
“The hope is we can ramp him up,” O’Connell said. “He’s back in the building and meetings and building up his workload for the week. We’ll see where he’s at throughout the remainder of the week.”
Christian Darrisaw Questionable for MNF vs. Bears
Another pressing injury concern going into Monday night is Christian Darrisaw‘s status.
Darrisaw, coming back from an ACL/MCL tear in late October 2024, has been ahead of schedule in his rehab all offseason.
His availability in Week 1 was still a long shot, but it appears in play, according to O’Connell.
“I can’t say enough about the work he’s put in and to have the type of camp he’s had to even have it where Christian and I can make a decision, what’s in Christian’s best interest, but also understanding this guy’s done everything in his power to give himself an opportunity to have that conversation,” O’Connell said on Saturday. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. … Christian Darrisaw is a major foundational player for us been really happy with my dialogue with him this whole time.”
Running back Zavier Scott (ankle) and defensive tackle Elijah Williams (hamstring) were ruled out for the game.
The Bears have questionable tags on cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson (calf/groin) and Josh Blackwell (groin) and running back Roschon Johnson (foot). Linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring) is listed as doubtful.
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