Locked On Vikings Hit - Quick Takes on the Minnesota Vikings
Sep 30, 2026 · 6 min · 6 segments
The Minnesota Vikings have eased in Harrison Smith since his return from pseudo retirement, but when can we expect to see more of him? Sam Ekstrom discusses that, then gets into Brian Flores' matchup…
Sam EkstromHost
Later, I'll tell you what I think Brian Flores is fibbing about, but first, Harrison Smith needs to see an uptick in work.
We-- Everyone wants him to, everybody believes he will, and I think using last year as a template can show us when the Vikings will reintegrate him into a full-time defensive player.
He might be in shape, but in shape is different than game shape, and he didn't have any of those physical training camp practices to get him there.
Harrison Smith, not by design last year, but he had a, an illness which is still ambiguous about what exactly happened there.
But he didn't play until week three, and then they eased him in to the tune of 22, 17, and 29 snaps in his first three games.
They'll give him to the bye the first five games, let that be a ramp-up, and then have him firing after that when the calendar gets into October, and then you've got a fresher Harrison Smith for the final 12 games.
He's the biggest reason why they gave up that long catch and run to Christian Watson back in week one.
He was last year, he has been this year, and I guess Jay Wort said something mean about Brian Flores' mother because he's been phased out of the operation.
So at age 37, I get giving him the first three to five games to ramp up, but I would expect them to follow a similar model to last year and eventually elevate him into that full-time role.
I don't think he was being truthful about something else that we'll address in a moment.
Later, I'll tell you what I think Brian Flores is fibbing about, but first, Harrison Smith needs to see an uptick in work.
We-- Everyone wants him to, everybody believes he will, and I think using last year as a template can show us when the Vikings will reintegrate him into a full-time defensive player.
He might be in shape, but in shape is different than game shape, and he didn't have any of those physical training camp practices to get him there.
Harrison Smith, not by design last year, but he had a, an illness which is still ambiguous about what exactly happened there.
But he didn't play until week three, and then they eased him in to the tune of 22, 17, and 29 snaps in his first three games.
They'll give him to the bye the first five games, let that be a ramp-up, and then have him firing after that when the calendar gets into October, and then you've got a fresher Harrison Smith for the final 12 games.
He's the biggest reason why they gave up that long catch and run to Christian Watson back in week one.
He was last year, he has been this year, and I guess Jay Wort said something mean about Brian Flores' mother because he's been phased out of the operation.
So at age 37, I get giving him the first three to five games to ramp up, but I would expect them to follow a similar model to last year and eventually elevate him into that full-time role.
I don't think he was being truthful about something else that we'll address in a moment.
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