Vikings Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith missed two games late last season because of a pretty bad high ankle sprain. He returned to play the final two games despite his ankle not being 100 percent healed.
According to ESPN’s Ben Goessling and Adam Caplan, Smith recently underwent surgery to “clean up” the ankle in an effort to keep Smith from possible setbacks going into next season. Smith played in the Pro Bowl and registered five tackles, so the ankle couldn’t have been too much of an issue if he played in a meaningless game.
ESPN notes that running back Latavius Murray had a similar ankle surgery done after he signed a three-year, $15 million deal with the Vikings earlier this month.
Both players are expected to be healthy in time for training camp.
Smith didn’t not intercept a pass for the first time in his career last season, although he was a key anchor in a secondary that helped Minnesota limit opposing offenses to the third fewest points in the NFL.
