Don’t expect Harrison Smith to take on a huge workload following the bye. Not, at least, if Kevin O’Connell is accurately projecting where things are going on defense.
Early this week, the Vikings’ skipper did a press conference with the media. O’Connell took on a question toward the end about whether Smith would see an increase in his workload following the bye. Doing so would make some sense given that the veteran has had the time to get back into game shape. O’Connell, though, thinks that the elder statesman will continue occupying a more modest role.
Harrison Smith Not Expected to Shoulder Huge Snaps
“Yeah, it’s a good question,” O’Connell began. “I think probably this year might be a little different.”
The head coach continued: “Harry has seen his workload go up a little bit, more so than just those 3rd downs and some of those known passes, he’s been in there a little bit more. But I think we want to keep him fresh, I think we want to be able to use the depth of that safety room, and just our DBs as a whole.”
Elsewhere in his answer, O’Connell discussed how much depth is present within the defense more broadly.
Right now, the Vikings’ front seven is operating at an elite level. The inside linebacker duo of Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson are a menace when blitzing. The young DTs, Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez, have been energetic and disruptive. Meanwhile, Dallas Turner has been working through the projected breakout season while Andrew Van Ginkel has been his usual versatile, physical, hard-to-corral self.
And that’s just the starters. All of edge rusher Kyle Van Noy, linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., defensive tackle Caleb Banks, defensive tackle Ty Ingram-Dawkins, and defensive tackle Domonique Orange have been demanding playing time.
What happens if linebacker Jake Golday starts demanding work? Snaps will be even more scarce.
There’s good reason to ensure the front seven is being featured. The defense only has eleven open spots, meaning Harrison Smith isn’t featured as much as in the past.
Consider, as well, that James Pierre makes the corner room much more formidable. The Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, and Pierre trio is pretty deadly. The safety talent doesn’t boast any high-end options but all of Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, and Jacob Thomas have been demanding playing time. Jay Ward and Jakobe Thomas may need some work soon enough, as well.
Harrison Smith has been active for all five games but has yet to earn a start. His total snap count sits at 148, working out to 48% of the total for the defense.
Smith has 7 tackles, 1 quarterback hit, and 3 passes defended. He’s tracking the play well, allowing him to still get a jump on passes to be disruptive (see his PD versus Chris Olave in Week 5 for an example).
At 37, Smith is ancient among NFL players. He’s no longer an elite option but is still a good ball player. Look for Minnesota to continue managing his workload.