Even before Saturday’s non-contact knee injury suffered by Jamal Adams, a sense lingered that veteran safety Harrison Smith could return to Minnesota for a fifteenth season. Now that Adams is likely lost for the year, the Vikings could make an effort to get Smith back in the fold.
And it’s clear that a potential reunion has been on the table. Consider the comments from linebacker Blake Cashman to KFAN.
“I will say Harry’s earned the right to take as much time as he needs and wants,” Cashman said on August 5. “I’m sure there’s different dialogue between him, his agent, and the coaching staff, but the guy’s earned the right, I think, not to be here for the meantime if that’s what he chooses.
“If he does choose to come back, or not, that’s his decision. We do miss him, and we’ve got to fill that void, but that’s what training camp is for, to get those reps in and practice that.”
If there was already a void, there’s even more of one now.
And it’s not just Cashman. Coach Kevin O’Connell said this on July 28, regarding Smith’s possible return: “I believe that now would be the time we would really dive into that, and we’ll continue to have dialogue with him and keep you guys updated if there were to be anything come about with that.”
If there’s anything to come about with that, the time for it may be now.
Smith, a first-round pick in 2012 who has played his entire career with the Vikings, doesn’t need to be part of the grind of training camp. The preseason isn’t a prerequisite.
The man who runs the defense also has chimed in. “I think collectively there’s a sense of trying to, you know, bring what he brought to the table from a communication, leadership standpoint,” defensive coordinator Brian Flores said on July 31. “You know, with him being absent or not absent, but not being here. I still haven’t gotten over it.”
Beyond Smith taking his time, there could be a question of what he’ll be paid. And whatever leverage he already had may have increased.
Regardless, the Adams injury brings the existing void into greater focus. The first game is four weeks away. At a time when there has been so much focus on the team’s offense, the defense will need to keep doing what it did last year. Having Smith on the field could be one of the ways to make that happen.