Vikings trade for promising tight end to replace injured Irv Smith Jr.

With Irv Smith Jr. set to be sidelined after knee surgery, the Vikings have pivoted quickly to acquire a promising tight end from the Jets.

With Kyle Rudolph gone, the breakout buzz for Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. was palatable heading toward this season. But with Smith now facing at least a multi-week absence after he has meniscus surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has reported the Vikings will acquire tight end Chris Herndon from the New York Jets for “draft pick compensation”.

With Smith out at least a few games, with a worst-case scenario of the entire season still possibly in play, the Vikings were set to go into the regular season with Tyler Conklin as their No. 1 tight end and some nondescript guys behind him (Brandon Dillon, practice squad fodder Zach Davidson). For an offense that’s in line to still use two tight ends as heavily as any team in the league, that depth is not good enough.

Vikings take a flier on Chris Herndon

Fantasy football managers are surely familiar with Herndon. He was a breakout candidate during his time with the Jets to such a degree it’s hard to believe this is only his fourth NFL season. The breakthrough never happened, but he has played all 16 games in two of three seasons with seven touchdowns on 71 career catches. This preseason, Tyler Kroft had usurped him as the Jets’ No. 1 tight end.

Herndon stands to benefit from a change of scenery (insert not being coached by Adam Gase narrative). He’s only 25 years old, with size (6-foot-4, 253 pounds) and speed that seems to still be there if he can get it together otherwise. A late draft pick of some sort was an easy price to pay for Vikings GM Rick Spielman.

Smith’s injury situation brought immediate visions of the Vikings trading for Eagles’ tight end Zach Ertz in some corners. The price to get Herndon was surely lower, and the Jets were certainly more than willing to trade him than the Eagles seem to be to trade Ertz right now.