The Vikings secondary has been plagued by injuries this season, and perhaps the talent there was pretty thin to begin with.
Safety Harrison Smith, a hard-hitter and consistent presence in the defensive backfield, is in a walking boot following a turf toe injury during Sunday’s loss to Carolina.
Now reports say Smith may need season-ending surgery on his foot.
Smith may need surgery to correct a turf toe issue that could sideline him for the season, two people with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t discussed details.
The plan for now is to try to let the injury heal, says USA Today, but two doctors have recommended surgery.
“It’s probably a little bit more serious than we would like,” coach Leslie Frazier said at a Thursday news conference. “We’ll determine a little bit more as we get some more opinions.”
Whatever happens with the surgery, Smith will be out for Monday night’s game against the Giants, says NBC’s Pro Football Talk. Andrew Sendejo replaced Smith last weekend and is the likeliest starter in his place. Eli Manning probably won’t have too many better opportunities to turn his season around than the one the Vikings secondary will provide.
