Irv Smith Jr. Gets 4th Chance
After leaving the Minnesota Vikings two years ago, Irv Smith Jr. emphatically has not caught on with the Cincinnati Bengals or Kansas City Chiefs.
Irv Smith Jr. Gets 4th Chance
But the Houston Texans are willing to give him a fourth chance.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted Wednesday, “Texans signing corner D’Angelo Ross to active roster from practice squad per a league source in addition to signing Irv Smith Jr., to practice squad and Scott Quessenberry.”
Smith Jr. joins this Texans TE room:
- Dalton Schultz
- Brevin Jordan
- Cade Stover
- Chris Myarick (Practice Squad)
- Irv Smith Jr. (Practice Squad)
Smith Jr. hits the Texans’ practice squad. He also auditioned for the New England Patriots’ practice squad last week, though no deal materialized. Houston took the plunge.
Smith Jr., 26, was selected by the Vikings in the 2nd Round of the 2019 NFL Draft and possessed heaps of upside during his entire Minnesota tenure. But the franchise traded for T.J. Hockenson in November 2022, spelling the beginning of the end to Smith’s career in purple.
He then latched onto the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 offseason, on deck for a career rebirth — that never occurred. Smith Jr. banked 18 catches for 115 yards in 12 games, also known as TE4 numbers. Chiefs fans hoped his potential could be unlocked with the NFL’s best player, Patrick Mahomes, but that probably would’ve happened in 2023 with Joe Burrow and friends. Or any season with the Vikings.
Smith Jr. was a part of the Vikings operations for four years but was overshadowed by veteran TE1 Kyle Rudolph in 2019 and 2020 and experienced injuries in 2021 and 2022. Since the start of 2019, Smith has registered 109 receptions on 152 targets for 973 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s averaged 19.8 receiving yards per game and missed 44% of all Vikings games due to injury. When he played, Smith made a difference at times but also experienced a couple of crucial dropped passes.
He suffered a high ankle sprain in October 2022 versus the Arizona Cardinals, an ailment sidelining him for about two months. Soon after, the Vikings traded for the aforementioned Hockenson, and the former Detroit Lion made the TE1 job his own.
Kansas City signed Smith Jr. in March during the first wave of 2024 free agency, an indicator that the Super Bowl champs valued him. But Kansas City dropped Smith Jr. three weeks ago amid 53-man roster cuts, and that was that.
The Texans have knocked off the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears to start the 2024 campaign and conveniently play the Vikings this Sunday. Smith Jr. is unlikely to see the gameday roster this weekend, but he’ll live on the practice squad indefinitely.
The Texans also employ former Vikings Cam Akers (RB), Danielle Hunter (EDGE), Stefon Diggs (WR), Case Keenum (QB, IR), and Kris Boyd (CB).
Smith Jr. turned 26 last month.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.