WARE, England — Those who have been clamoring for the Vikings to give veteran safety Harrison Smith more playing time aren’t alone. While chatting with reporters after another picturesque practice in the English countryside on Thursday, defensive coordinator Brian Flores joked that even his sons Miles and Maxwell have been getting on him about it.
“My boys are like, ‘Why isn’t he playing as much?’ ” Flores said with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘Look man. You can’t just throw somebody into an NFL game.’ ”
The fact that Smith has seen his playing time limited as of late is all part of the process.
After missing most of training camp with a personal health issue, Smith also missed games against the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons. He has been slowly working himself back since returning to the lineup, playing 22 defensive snaps against the Cincinnati Bengals, then 17 defensive snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“We’re just building,” Smith said while noting that he hasn’t pushed his limits yet. “This was kind of the plan and we’re sticking to it.”
It’s been an adjustment for Smith considering he’s used to playing every snap.
“Normally, playing every snap, I tend to get in a flow a little bit easier,” Smith said. “I’m trying to figure that out. It’s not like rocket science or anything, just staying warm on the sideline and being alert and ready whenever I’m going in.”
It sounds as if Smith could see an uptick in his playing time when the Vikings play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
“I think he’s gong to get pretty close to that normal workload,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “That will allow us to be a little bit more versatile.”
Though he credited the performance of safeties Josh Metellus and Theo Jackson for their play, Flores emphasized that Smith is the engine that makes everything go on defense, adding he’s eager to get the 14-year pro back in the mix on a more regular basis.
“He’s doing a great job,” Flores said. “He’s getting his wind and his conditioning and his strength back. He’s a guy that we need out on the field. When he’s ready, we’ll get him out there playing.”
Briefly
Much of offensive line missed practice on Thursday afternoon: left tackle Christian Darrisaw (rest), left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist), center Ryan Kelly (concussion), center Michael Jurgens (hamstring) and right tackle Brian O’Neill (knee). As for the rest of the team, quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle), tight end Ben Yurosek (knee), edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) and edge rusher Dallas Turner (illness) were nonparticipants.
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