Former NFL doctor provides latest on Irv Smith Jr. injury

David J. Chao, a former NFL head team doctor with more than 17 years of experience, runs profootballdoc.com, which evaluates injuries based on past experience and video evidence, along with notable reports. He recently revealed the latest on Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. on his social media channels.

“His season is essentially done, no real chance to return,” Chao said in a YouTube video. “There was some question if the meniscus surgery was a trim, as opposed to a repair that he could come back. That mystery has now been solved. It’s been reported as a repair, which is with sutures, which requires minimum three-month healing time plus rehab. Realistically, he will not come back.”

He continued: “That’s why the Vikings traded to acquire Chris Herndon. They probably already knew this was going to be the case and prepared for it that way. In the past, a lot of players have chosen to have it trimmed for an early recovery but in the health and safety era, I think it makes sense to try to preserve longevity of the knee with the meniscus repair.”

Updating the Vikings depth chart

Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. put together respectable numbers in his first two seasons in the NFL. The former second-round pick had 66 catches for 676 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 games. Five of those touchdowns came last season.

He played two seasons at Alabama in 2017 and 2018. In his final year with the Crimson Tide, he finished with 44 catches for 710 yards and seven touchdowns.

Chris Herndon is expected to fill in the role left open by Smith, who will miss time as he goes to surgery this week for a meniscus injury he suffered in the Vikings’ preseason finale against Kansas City. Smith’s timeline for recovery remains unknown, but the news of a repair does not bode well for a return this season.

“It takes a long time for the meniscus to heal as it is relatively lacking in blood supply,” said Chao. “Vikings fans will perhaps remember back to 2016, Adrian Peterson, Mr. miracle knee recovery guy himself with the ACL, was trying to come back from a September meniscus repair surgery and never made it. I don’t believe Irv Smith Jr. will make it either, even though his surgery timeline was a little earlier than [Peterson’s].”

Tyler Conklin, Brandon Dillon and Ben Ellefson are joined by Herndon on the Vikings depth chart. Kyle Rudolph, who spent 10 seasons in Minnesota, is entering his first year with the New York Giants.