According to sources, Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Sr. had surgery Wednesday morning to fix a meniscus injury. He is expected to miss the entire season.
Smith sustained the injury during Friday's team's preseason finale in Kansas City.
Smith was poised for a breakout year at the time of his injury. He had risen to the top on the Vikings' depth charts at tight end after the departure of Kyle Rudolph in free agency. Smith caught three touchdowns on twenty targets during the season's final four games. He also had 30 catches for 365 yards, five scores and a total of 31 catches.
On Tuesday, the Vikings acquired veteran tight end Chris Herndon (New York Jets) to replace Smith.
Minnesota sent a fourth-round selection from the 2022 draft to New York in return for Herndon, and a sixth-round selection from the 2022 season.
Herndon will fill a crucial role among Vikings tight end's. Zimmer said that the position's depth was "not very good" after Smith's injury. Minnesota expects its No. Minnesota expects its No. 2 tight end Tyler Conklin to return to full practice on Monday. Conklin has been sidelined since Aug. 16 with a hamstring injury.
In 2018, Herndon was a promising rookie, catching 39 passes for 502 yards with four touchdowns. The 2018 fourth-round selection has not been able to match that performance. After a DUI arrest, Herndon was placed on suspension in 2019. He suffered a hamstring injury as he tried to get back on the field. Herndon broke a rib in his first game against the New York Giants in November 2019. He was then placed on injured reserve.
Herndon struggled last season with drops and fumbles, but he became a more blocking tight end. He rebounded towards the end of 2020 with 31 catches for 287 yards, and three touchdowns.
This report was based on information from Courtney Cronin, ESPN.
