Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. has noticed “a lot more swagger” from quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason and he’s displaying some of his own as well.
Smith has 66 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns over his first two NFL seasons, but will no longer be splitting time with Kyle Rudolph in the Minnesota offense. During an appearance on NFL Network, Smth shared what he thinks that is going to mean for him.
“I have very high expectations, especially for myself,” Smith said. “I don’t want to put an exact number out there because I don’t want to say ‘I’m gonna score 15 touchdowns or however many,’ but it’s gonna be a lot. I’m going to be scoring a lot, making a lot of plays and helping my offense in any way, helping my team. I just want to be able to be a playmaker out there, whether it’s in the run game, pass game, scoring touchdowns, making a key block, whatever it is. I just want to, at the end of the day, win a Super Bowl and have the accolades that I want for myself at the end of the year.”
The Vikings don’t have a clear No. 3 receiver behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen heading into the season. Smith sounds like he has designs on claiming that role.