Irv Smith Jr. Rides Again
Minnesota Vikings fans over the age of 14 will remember tight end Irv Smith Jr. quite well.
Irv Smith Jr. Rides Again
He was the guy who was supposed to replace beloved Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph, but the plan never fully took off. Smith Jr. has bounced around the NFL since leaving Minnesota, and he has a 2025 marching order — a reunion with the Houston Texans.
Irv Smith Jr. Returns to Texans
ProFootballTalk.com‘s Myles Simmons wrote Friday, “Irv Smith Jr. is headed back to Houston. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the tight end has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Texans on Friday.”
“Smith, 26, joined the Texans’ practice squad last September and was signed to the active roster in December. He appeared in five games for the club, playing 85 offensive snaps and 15 special teams snaps. He did not record a reception in 2024.”
Houston signed Smith Jr. last September, and he remained attached to the practice squad and later the active roster for the entire season.
Click2Houston.com noted on the transaction, “He played in five games with one start, filling in when tight end Cade Stover underwent an emergency appendectomy. Smith blocked extremely well as an elevation from the practice squad in a win over the Miami Dolphins last season. Smith is a former Alabama standout who has also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. Smith (6-2, 240) was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference selection for the Crimson Tide and won a national championship.”
Smith Jr. NFL Resume to Date
The Vikings pulled Smith Jr. from the 2019 NFL Draft with gobs of promise and potential, but the relationship did not pan out. On the whole, here’s Smith Jr.’s playing resume to date:
- Minnesota Vikings (2019–2022)
- Cincinnati Bengals (2023)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2024)
- Houston Texans (2024–present)
Most onlookers decided that Smith Jr.’s once-lofty TE1 upside could be thrown out the window when he failed to contribute as a member of the Bengals in 2023. Cincinnati’s offense vehemently needed production from the tight end spot, so Smith Jr.’s presence with Joe Burrow could’ve netted dividends. And the Bengals had no major tight end personalities to assist Burrow. It was Smith Jr.’s time. No cigar.
Smith Jr. responded by hauling in 18 catches for 115 receiving yards that season, a total whimper. If he couldn’t catch on with Burrow on a tight-end-needy team, he probably wouldn’t suddenly bust into stardom thereafter.
So far, the theory has held.
Time with the Vikings
Former Vikings boss Rick Spielman drafted Smith Jr. from Round 2 six years ago, on deck to replace the aforementioned Rudolph. Fans adored the pick, as Smith Jr. possessed a wide receiver’s frame and catching prowess.
In fact, during every offseason, from 2019 to 2022 — so four of them — Vikings faithful forecasted an “Irv Smith Jr. breakout season,” affectionately coined “irv smith break out szn,” and it just never came to fruition. The summer tradition actually became a saga and later a joke.
All told, he logged 91 receptions for 858 yards and 9 touchdowns in four seasons. The Alabama alumnus also battled a litany of injuries, even missing the entire 2021 season, which could’ve been prime territory for his alleged breakout that never occurred.
He stayed on the roster for one year of the Kevin O’Connell era at head coach, and his role became totally trivial when Minnesota swung a splashy trade for current tight end T.J. Hockenson in the autumn of 2022.
Texans TE Depth Chart
Smith Jr. will battle these tight ends in Houston for a roster spot in August:
- Dalton Schultz
- Brevin Jordan
- Cade Stover
Realistic Forecast for Irv Smith Jr. in 2025
The most plausible forecast for Smith Jr. in 2025 likely involves another practice squad stint if he’s not released outright during summer roster trimdowns. In theory, Houston could keep four tight ends on its regular season depth chart, but three is probably closer to reality.
At the peak of his powers, Smith Jr. excelled in Minnesota’s redzone offense, so perhaps he’ll settle in with Houston or elsewhere as a situational goal line receiving threat.
Smith Jr. will turn 27 in August.
Houston also employs former Vikings players Ed Ingram (G), Danielle Hunter (DE), and Cam Robinson (OT).
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