3 Vikings breakout candidates ready to shine in 2022

Tight end Irv Smith Jr. is poised to have a massive bounce-back season in 2022

After missing all of last season due to injury, now is the time to shine for fourth-year pro Irv Smith Jr. During his first two years out of Alabama with the Vikings, Smith showed signs of promise in the receiving game. Unfortunately, what was once expected to be a breakout season for him a year ago was no longer possible because of his injury. He will just have to make it happen in 2022.

With Kevin O’Connell coming over from the Los Angeles Rams to be the Vikings’ new head coach, one would expect he will take Minnesota’s passing game up a notch. They already have two excellent wide receivers in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, as well as one of the best running backs in the game today in Dalvin Cook. Kirk Cousins is also a top-12 quarterback in the league.

In short, things will be smoother for the Vikings offensively, even in a new scheme. This will allow Smith to have the breakout season everybody sees on the horizon. Not to say he will have a 750-yard campaign, but Smith has an outside shot at Pro Bowl honors if the Vikings offense is as good as many people expect it will be. Regardless, more people are going to know about Smith’s game.

The only thing that could be slowing down Smith this season is if the suffers another major injury.