5 players the Vikings can’t afford to lose to injury in 2020

Harrison Smith – S

The Vikings have two of the best safeties in the league in Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris. If one of them gets hurt, that could be a fatal blow to the Vikings’ secondary. Of the two, losing Smith would be more devastating as he’s proven he can handle being a one-man show when it comes to safety, as there were years where he was playing next to some less than stellar players.

If Smith were to go down, the Vikings wouldn’t just be losing a great player but they would be losing a vast amount of veteran leadership. Not only is Smith the leader of the safeties, but he’s also the leader of the entire Vikings’ secondary. He has been around for nearly a decade and knows Zimmer’s defense inside and out. With the Vikings cornerback group being especially young, he can help get them lined up right if they have questions during a game.

Another reason losing Smith would be a huge blow to the team, is that the backup who would come in would be a rookie. Whether it is a converted Harrison Hand, Josh Metellus, Brian Cole, or even Myles Dorn, whoever ends up being Smith’s backup is going to lack experience. While there is certainly upside with all of these players having another inexperienced player in the secondary could be a recipe for disaster. Teams would certainly attack this young group through the air until this young group proves it can shut down a passing game.