Harrison Smith will not play Sunday when the Vikings host the Lions. The veteran safety suffered a concussion Monday night against the Eagles.
Smith and Cam Bynum combined to tackle Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell with just under 13 minutes left in the third quarter. The Eagles punted on the next play and Smith did not return to the game.
“He’s still kind of in the confines of the [concussion] protocol. He’ll more than likely be out this weekend,” O’Connell said Friday. “Hopefully we can get him back as soon as possible.”
O’Connell said Smith will “more than likely” be listed as “out” when the official injury report is released later Friday.
Josh Metellus played the final ten defensive snaps of the game in place of Smith Monday night, but it sounds like the Vikings plan to replace Smith with both Metellus and rookie first-round pick Lewis Cine.
“I see a lot of different roles depending on whether it’s Metellus or Lewis. I would expect to see both those guys play,” said O’Connell. “When Josh has had a chance to get in there he’s really done some good things, and I think he’s been really, really good on special teams. Playing aggressive, flying around, which will only bode well for our defense.
“I feel really good about where Lew is coming off that injury in the [preseason] opener. Just continue to integrate him in there and then continue to develop his role because we’re going to be counting on him for a lot of things this year.”
Andrew Booth Jr., the rookie cornerback from Clemson, will miss his second straight game with a quad injury.
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