Brian Flores says that his kids miss Harrison Smith.
Smith, 36, played 94% of the Minnesota Vikings’ snaps last season, and a career-high 1,113 two years ago. However, he’s battled a personal health issue early this season, and he’s only played 36% of Minnesota’s snaps this season.
“Even my boys are like, ‘Why isn’t he playing as much?’” Flores admitted. “You can’t just throw somebody into an NFL game.”
It’s not just Smith, though. Blake Cashman is on IR with a hamstring injury, and Andrew Van Ginkel has a neck issue. Flores still has Josh Metellus and Jonathan Greenard as reliable veterans on the team.
However, it’s hard for him to be the ghost in Minnesota’s defensive machine when he’s missing crucial nodes.
When Flores met with Minnesota’s defensive coaching staff before last season, they discussed who they had to add to build upon their defensive foundation. The Cincinnati Bengals had decoded Flores’ unique defense in Week 15 of 2023. Therefore, Flores had to devise a more complex defense and recruit players capable of executing it.
“What do we have on our roster right now with the group that we just played with?” Flores recalled asking his coaches after the 2023 season. “And what can we do to add to that group to execute that vision?
“We watched a bunch of guys, the scouts watched guys at free agency, and we watched them as coaches,” he said. “And the collaboration was, ‘Hey, our vision is to play this style. We’re probably gonna need these types of guys.’ Thankfully, we were able to get Blake Cashman, Greenard, and Van Ginkel.”
Harrison Smith and Harrison Phillips also acted as coaches on the field. However, a year later, only Smith and Greenard will suit up against the Cleveland Browns in London. The Vikings traded Phillips in the offseason, and every player except Greenard has experienced injury or illness this year.
Naturally, people have focused on Minnesota’s quarterback situation, where Carson Wentz has taken over for J.J. McCarthy after McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain. We still don’t know when McCarthy will recover from injury, and if they’d stick with Wentz through the post-bye-week gauntlet.
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s offensive line is so banged up that reserve swingman Blake Brandel is taking first-team reps at center with Michael Jurgens injured. They’re already missing Brian O’Neill, Ryan Kelly, and Donovan Jackson. Even if the Vikings get McCarthy back soon, he’ll enter a less favorable situation than they intended for him.
Still, the defense will have to hold its own while the offense pieces things together.
They have largely done that so this year, despite playing dynamic offenses. Ben Johnson has taken over as the Chicago Bears’ head coach and has former No. 1 pick Caleb Williams at his disposal. Michael Penix can create explosives with his arm. The Cincinnati Bengals have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins lining up out wide, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have Aaron Rodgers throwing to D.K. Metcalf.
Still, Flores’ defense has held Minnesota’s opponents to under 24 points in each of their games. Even with McCarthy’s slow start and Wentz learning Kevin O’Connell’s offense after joining the Vikings in late August, the offense should be able to score more than 24 points per game.
However, that has become increasingly difficult due to all their injuries. Still, Minnesota’s defense is also down some crucial players. Smith says he’s sticking with the plan he and the team devised as he returns to action. They haven’t put Van Ginkel on IR, and Cashman can return after the bye.
Until then, they’ll rely on Metellus, Greenard, and nine-year veteran Eric Wilson. It’s a patchwork group, but Flores has done more with less. He’s still the ghost in the machine, even if he’s missing a couple of nodes. Flores’ kids can wait with the rest of us until Smith is fully ready to go.
