Getty Former Vikings wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette was picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs on October 21, 2022.
The Minnesota Vikings releasing Ihmir Smith-Marsette was one of the biggest surprises of roster cutdown day ahead of the 2022 season.
Smith-Marsette, noted by The Athletic’s Chad Graff, was the reason the Vikings didn’t chase a wide receiver early in the draft last spring. But after the new regime got a closer look at the 2021 fifth-round pick, they opted to move on, cutting him on August 30.
Smith-Marsette was picked up quickly by the Chicago Bears but fell out of favor in Chicago after making several crucial errors. Most notably: not running out of bounds in the final minutes of the Bears’ loss to the Vikings where he had the ball pried out of his hands by Vikings corner Cam Dantzler. Smith-Marsette has failed to prove his worth since, enough since that play, which is his only catch on the season, was released on October 18.
It’s been a tough road for the second-year receiver who flashed promise his rookie season in Minnesota after he caught three passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings’ season finale against the Bears.
However, Smith-Marsette has landed with a Super Bowl contender who could hone his raw athleticism into productivity.
Chiefs Sign Ihmir Smith-Marsette to Practice Squad
On Friday, October 21, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Smith-Marsette to their practice squad, per ChiefsDigest.com reporter Matt Derrick.
“Chiefs have signed former Bears and Vikings WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette to their practice squad. He was on the field for practice Friday,” Derrick tweeted on October 21.
Chiefs have signed former Bears and Vikings WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette to their practice squad. He was on the field for practice Friday.
Smith-Marsette, selected 157th overall in the 2021 draft, was widely regarded as an electric deep threat and lethal return man.
At 6-feet, 185-pound Smith-Marsette ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and figured to be a deep weapon the Vikings could use to stretch the field and make open up more crossing routes for other receivers. He played well during the 2022 preseason too. Smith-Marsette caught 10 passes on 11 targets for 121 yards, according to PFF.
Now, The Chiefs and head coach Andy Reid have a chance to make something of Smith-Marsette.
Kansas City currently has five receivers rostered in JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette Among Departed Vikings Draft Class
Smith-Marsette is among the 11-man 2021 draft class that proved to be the final group former general manager Rick Spielman would select in Minnesota.
And while first-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah opted to keep much of the team Spielman built over the years intact, he clearly was not optimistic the team’s younger players fit in his vision for the future.
Just four players from that draft class made the final roster ahead of the 2022 season — just 16 months after they were selected by the Vikings.
Adofo-Mensah cut three of the four third-round picks in that class in quarterback Kellen Mond (Round 3, Pick 66), linebacker Chazz Surratt (Round 3, Pick 78) and Wyatt Davis (Round 3, Pick 86).
But there were some hits. Christian Darrisaw, selected in the first round, is looking like the Vikings’ left tackle for the next decade with a stellar start to his second season. Third-round edge rusher Patrick Jones II (Round 3, Pick 90) is coming into his own — most recently notching a pair of sacks against the Miami Dolphins.
Fourth-round running back Kene Nwangwu (Round 4, Pick 119) has lethal speed and returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns his rookie season, while fellow fourth-rounder, safety Cam Bynum (Round 4, Pick 125), is stepping up as a starting safety.
However, after the fourth round, the Vikings haven’t kept a single of their final four picks in edge rusher Janarius Robinson (Round 4, Pick 134), Smith-Marsette (Round 5, Pick 157), tight end Zach Davidson (Round 5, Pick 168), and defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman (Round 6, Pick 199).
The exodus of the 2021 draft class may not be a complete condemnation of the players themselves but moreso their fit with Adofo-Mensah’s plans for the roster and its developmental talent.