2 Vikings Legends See Their Roles Shrink
The Minnesota Vikings are 2-2 through four games, and along the way, the roles of wide receiver Adam Thielen and safety Harrison Smith have been redefined.
Two beloved Minnesota Vikings players saw rather limited snaps on Sunday in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers — both for different reasons.
Both cherished Vikings played reduced snaps on Sunday, a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers after Minnesota mounted a furious, almost-comeback late in the 4th Quarter.
So, what does it all mean?
Longtime Vikings Adam Thielen and Harrison Smith See Reduced Workload in Dublin
We shall see if the Earth returns to its axis.
Adam Thielen Plays Minimal Snaps in Loss to Steelers
Minnesota was on offense for 76 plays versus the Steelers. Thielen saw action on 12 snaps — 16%. In his defense, he caught a couple of crucial dinker 1st Down receptions, so it wasn’t like he had a bad day at the office.
It’s just that he hardly played.
Through four games, Thielen has 4 receptions for 37 yards, a small stat line for a man so ingrained in Vikings lore. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded for Thielen before the season began, a deal centered on a 4th-Round pick to the Carolina Panthers, and after a small sample, that trade doesn’t seem worth it.
Harrison Smith, Too — Due to Pitch Count
Concurrently in Week 5, Smith saw 17 defensive snaps of 53 possible opportunities. That means the perhaps future Hall of Famer played just one-third of the time in Dublin. Last week, when Smith returned from a mystery ailment, he played 22 snaps, slightly over one-third.
So, yes, Smith is being used by defensive coordinator Brian Flores as a part-time safety, a vast contrast to Smith’s career pattern, which has featured guaranteed full-time starter’s duty. In fact, when Smith is fully healthy, he basically doesn’t come off the field.
That has made his diminished workload an oddity for fans watching from afar.
But have no fear: this is the plan for Smith. He’s ramping up in real time to his usual snap allotment, a part of the process to return to speed from the ailment that sidelined him in the first two games.
What’s Next for Thielen
For Thielen, though, the WR4 assignment might be the new world order in Minnesota. Thielen rejoined the Vikings about a month ago, and most envisioned a WR2 role for him out of the gate, with Jordan Addison sidelined because of a suspension. Didn’t happen. No cigar.
Either because he didn’t establish immediate rapport with J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz, because he is starting an age-related decline, or the coaching staff may have simply changed its mind on his role, Thielen is very much Minnesota’s WR4 behind Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor. Thielen has 8 targets in the passing game through 4 games. Nailor has 17. Nailor is the WR3; Thielen is the WR4.
It might just stay that way because — why would it suddenly change?
Smith’s Reemergence
On the other hand, onlookers should expect Smith to get back to his typical gig. There’s no reason to believe his part-time defense is permanent. Smith has a Pro Football Focus grade of 75.0, making him a Top 25 safety in the business.
There’s also the matter of Minnesota’s secondary. The Vikings only play two cornerbacks regularly: Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers. At safety, Josh Metellus and Theo Jackson have taken most snaps, with a side dish of third-year defender Jay Ward.
Per personnel, Smith isn’t being forced out or replaced — which seems to, indeed, be happening to Thielen. A simple way to think of it? Minnesota is “taking it easy” with Smith.
Other Smith & Thielen Takes
SI.com‘s Will Ragatz noted on Thielen, “It’ll be interesting to see if this becomes the new norm for the 35-year-old, who seemed to still have plenty of gas in the tank over the past two seasons with the Panthers. He averaged 38.3 snaps per game in the three weeks without Addison.”
On Smith: “This was a pretty tight defensive rotation for the Vikings. Four starters played every-down roles, including Wilson and Turner in place of Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel. Four others were above 90 percent and three others were in the 68-78 percent range. One player not among that group of 11? Smith, the Vikings’ longest-tenured player. Like Thielen, Smith is a franchise legend who didn’t have a particularly big role in Sunday’s game.”
“He’s been a sub-package player in each of the past two weeks, also seeing just 22 snaps in the Bengals game. The difference with Smith is that unlike Thielen, he’s coming off of dealing with a personal health matter that cost him a big chunk of time in training camp and also the first two games of the season. The 36-year-old might naturally ramp up into more playing time moving forward, especially after the Week 6 bye.”
Thielen and Smith make familiar trips for both this weekend: to London, where neither has ever lost.
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