Irv Smith Jr. potentially suffers injury during Vikings camp on Monday

Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. reportedly exited the practice field on Monday with a trainer during the middle of training camp practice.

After missing the entire 2021 season due to a knee injury, Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. has enjoyed his return to the field this summer during the team’s training camp. Unfortunately, the injury bug might have bit Smith again.

During the middle of Monday’s camp practice, Smith reportedly left the field and headed to the locker room with a trainer, according to multiple reports.

These same reports revealed that the young Minnesota tight end eventually returned to the field on Monday, but he never put his helmet back on, and he watched the rest of practice from the sideline.

Minnesota Vikings tight end depth vanishes if Irv Smith Jr. suffered a significant injury during training camp

Heading into Vikings training camp this summer, there was a lot of excitement about the potential of Smith in the team’s new offensive scheme. He was going to be another weapon for Minnesota to use in their efforts to confuse the opposing defense on a play-by-play basis.

However, if Smith suffered a setback on Monday, it could have a huge impact on some of the plans that the Vikings might have for their offense during the upcoming season.

For starters, Minnesota doesn’t really have another tight end who can make up for the skill-set of Smith. The rest of the Vikings’ tight end room consists of Johnny Mundt, Ben Ellefson, Nick Muse, Jake Bargas, Shaun Beyer, and Zach Davidson. None of these guys are as versatile of a tight end as Smith is in terms of size, speed, quickness, strength, and receiving ability.

For now, let’s just hope for the best. Perhaps Smith needed some extra hydration to deal with the heat outside on Monday or he was cramping. Another injury would be devastating for not only the team, but for the young tight end as well, especially since he was just sidelined for an entire year.