The Vikings' defense has enjoyed the presence of Harrison Smith ever since he was drafted back in 2012. The team enjoys his presence on and off the field, but at 37, some things are just not the same as they used to be. As a result, the unsigned veteran is sitting on the side waiting for something to change or to retire.
Meanwhile, the team is in the middle of training camp and preparing to move on from Smith, unless, of course, he wants to come back. They are preparing for the future by drafting Jakobe Thomas out of Miami (FL), and they will lean on the remaining veterans.
None of this seems to matter, though, based on the recent work done by ESPN's Benjamin Solak. He wrote about his takeaways from Vikings camp, which did include some thoughts on Smith and the Vikings' safety position.
He writes, "There's no way to replace safety Harrison Smith. . .That's if he retires. It isn't formalized yet, and the Vikings are hoping he returns despite drafting safety Jakobe Thomas in the third round. While I was at camp, Thomas was not yet taking many first-team reps, but that's understandable, given how complex this defense is. . .My sense in watching practice and speaking to folks on the ground is there's no one winning idea for how to replace Smith just yet."
There has to be some faith placed on the shoulders of Brian Flores with the trio he has in place. Led by Josh Metellus, the Vikings' safeties have played well under the tutelage of Flores. Losing Smith will be a heavy hit, but time will tell how tough a transition it is.
#jakobe #defense
Meanwhile, the team is in the middle of training camp and preparing to move on from Smith, unless, of course, he wants to come back. They are preparing for the future by drafting Jakobe Thomas out of Miami (FL), and they will lean on the remaining veterans.
None of this seems to matter, though, based on the recent work done by ESPN's Benjamin Solak. He wrote about his takeaways from Vikings camp, which did include some thoughts on Smith and the Vikings' safety position.
He writes, "There's no way to replace safety Harrison Smith. . .That's if he retires. It isn't formalized yet, and the Vikings are hoping he returns despite drafting safety Jakobe Thomas in the third round. While I was at camp, Thomas was not yet taking many first-team reps, but that's understandable, given how complex this defense is. . .My sense in watching practice and speaking to folks on the ground is there's no one winning idea for how to replace Smith just yet."
There has to be some faith placed on the shoulders of Brian Flores with the trio he has in place. Led by Josh Metellus, the Vikings' safeties have played well under the tutelage of Flores. Losing Smith will be a heavy hit, but time will tell how tough a transition it is.
#jakobe #defense
3 months ago
