Irv Smith Jr. practices for expanded role as Vikings tight end

Irv Smith Jr. expects more passes to come his way as the third-year Vikings tight end steps into the lead role vacated by Kyle Rudolph's release in March.

Smith, the 2019 second-round pick out of Alabama, got a taste of the top job late last season when Rudolph went down with a Lisfranc injury Dec. 6 against Jacksonville. In the four games after, Smith was a focal point and caught 15 of 20 targets for 183 yards and three touchdowns.

"I feel like my role is definitely going to increase," Smith said Wednesday. "I'm confident in myself in the run game, I'm confident in myself in the pass game, and I feel our coaches are as well."

Smith has stood out with the starting offense during two organized team activity sessions open to reporters, speeding through the middle of the defense to snag a Kirk Cousins pass during Wednesday's team drills. Smith said he's feeling spry and "putting the best gas" in the tank after formulating a nutrition plan for the first time ahead of his third NFL season.

"My cousin, she's about to graduate from Tulane and be a registered dietitian," Smith said. "She calculated all of my meals exactly like, 'OK, you need this much protein, this many calories, this, this, this.' Just having that is awesome so you don't have to worry about, 'OK, what am I going to eat today?' "

Klint Kubiak has noticed, as the Vikings' first-year offensive coordinator is expected to lean on heavy personnel — two tight ends and/or a fullback — with a playbook similar to that of his father and former Vikings coordinator Gary Kubiak, who retired this offseason.

"Irv has come back in phenomenal shape," Kubiak said. "He's really been working at it since we last saw him in the building, but I don't want him to do anything different. I want him to be himself. And now he's going to have more opportunities, and I'm excited to see what he does with it."

Defensive end Danielle Hunter was again the most prominent absence during Wednesday's practice, the Vikings' second OTA session open to reporters. Head coach Mike Zimmer said he has not heard from Hunter, who has a $100,000 workout bonus tied to his attendance, about why he's away or when he'll report to the team.

Cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Jeff Gladney and linebacker Chazz Surratt were also not on the field.

"It's voluntary," Zimmer said of Hunter's absence. "We've had outstanding participation — almost 95 percent. There's a couple guys — I know [Peterson] is missing [Wednesday] because his daughter is graduating, but for the most part, we've had outstanding participation, so we'll just see when [June 15-17 mandatory] minicamp shows up."

First-round tackle Christian Darrisaw watched from the sideline while nursing a "pulled groin," per Zimmer; Darrisaw had groin surgery in January. Linebacker Eric Kendricks, whose 2020 season ended with a calf injury, did rehab work on a side field during team drills.

The Vikings and Broncos are finalizing plans for joint practices at TCO Performance Center in Eagan before the teams face each other in the preseason opener, according to Zimmer. They're scheduled to open a shortened exhibition schedule, the first three-game slate under the new 17-game regular-season format, on Aug. 13 or Aug. 14 at U.S. Bank Stadium, which will be the Vikings' first game in front of fans since 2019. The team is also preparing to host fans at training camp, but a schedule has not been set.

"With three preseason games, it gives us a chance to kind of evaluate especially the younger players against other players," Zimmer said. "See where we're at with each position and where we're at as a football team."