Vikings' Harrison Smith Reportedly Has Health Issue, Expected to Make Full Recovery

Harrison Smith has been sidelined due to an undisclosed ailment through much of August, though it sounds like an eventual return is on the table.

According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, the Minnesota Vikings safety is "expected to make a full recovery from a personal health issue that caused him to miss the final two weeks of training camp, sources said Thursday. But his timetable for returning to practice, and his availability for the start of the regular season, remains uncertain."

One hint as to the potential timeline for return, however, is that the Vikings put Smith on their initial 53-man roster rather than injured reserve. The latter would have required Smith to miss at least the first four games of the season. He was also named as one of the team's eight captains.

If he isn't ready for the start of the regular season, Theo Jackson would join Josh Metellus in the starting safety pair.

The 36-year-old has remained a key contributor for Minnesota's defense. While he's no longer the player who was a six-time Pro Bowler and 2017 first-team All-Pro selection, he still registered 87 tackles, three interceptions, 10 passes defensed, a fumble recovery and a sack last season. It was his sixth straight season with 85 or more tackles.

Last year he joined the rare club of defensive backs with at least 35 career interceptions and 20 sacks alongside Hall of Famers Charles Woodson, Larry Wilson, Ronde Barber, LeRoy Butler and Brian Dawkins, as Seifert noted.

The Vikings went 14-3 last season but lost in the Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Rams. For Smith, there's unfinished business.

"It starts with the leadership of this organization," he told reporters in March after restructuring his deal to return to the team. "From ownership with the Wilfs, and obviously with [head coach] Kevin O'Connell and being able to play for him the last couple years, and being able to build this team the right way; and the culture, just knowing what we have here and what we're capable of—what I believe we're capable of—it was important for me to come back and chase something this year."