Vikings Territory: Ihmir Smith-Marsette Gets A Zimmerian Stamp Of Approval

Press release from Vikings Territory:

Dustin Baker Dustin Baker

2021-08-13

Based on Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer’s comments earlier in the week. it seemed rookie wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette might be on the roster bubble. Zimmer announced that the rookie must improve his special-teams acumen to make the squad.

ESPN projected

The tarot cards indicated Smith-Marsette was heading to a practice squad life in 2021 — which isn’t unheard of for a Vikings rookie.

Good player was exactly the phrasing Zimmer used to describe Smith-Marsette who is entangled in a battle for the Vikings WR4-WR6 jobs.

The temptation here is to think “he called him a good player — who cares?” On the surface, that is accurate. However, when Zimmer goes out of his way to commend a player in this fashion, good stuff follows. Here are some receipts:

August 12, 2021

A versatile speedster, Smith-Marsette is a player that caused Vikings enthusiasts a lot of excitement during and after the 2021 NFL Draft. The Vikings notoriously limp by at WR3, so there was optimism that, in time, Smith-Marsette could mature into that role. For now, the WR3 tussle seems like a two-man race between free-agent signee Dede Westbrook and the upstart K.J. Osborn. Westbrook has a WR3 credo whereas Osborn dazzled at Vikings training camp. For betting odds, it’s probably a coinflip between Westbrook and Osborn as to who heads to Cincinnati in Week 1 as WR3.

If Minnesota can finally figure out a steady WR3 in Westbrook or Osborn, why stop there? Smith-Marsette can reasonably attain WR4 or WR5 targets, setting his sights on 2022 and 2023 as breakout campaigns when the Vikings roster inevitably turns over per annual NFL tradition.

One of the offseason’s most fascinating mysteries is how Klint Kubiak — who took over for his father, Gary — will run the Vikings offense. Will it be a cookie-cutter to Gary Kubiak’s 2020 scheme? Could new wrinkles change it up? Does the son Kubiak prefer to pass more?

This press release was produced by Vikings Territory .The views expressed here are the author’s own.