The smiles didn't last too long for the Dennis Eckersley Jersey on Sunday. After having , they got some more bad news on the injury front. , the team's starting tight end, was set to undergo surgery to repair meniscus damage in his knee, coach Mike Zimmer confirmed on Monday. It was initially unclear what the timetable for return would be on Smith, but with the regular-season opener set to kick off for the Vikings on Sept. 12 against the , Smith's odds of recovering in time for that weren't promising.Now, they're completely nonexistent. Smith has succe sfully come out on the Joe Morgan Jersey other end of the procedure but will reportedly mi s 4-5 months as he recovers, per Adam Schefter of . Despite the other existing firepower on the Vikings offense, this is still a blow, and especially for Smith himself.Zimmer originally noted he didn't have details on the surgical procedure."I never heard the six-to-eight-month thing," he told media. "We'll just see where it goes. A lot of times, you can't really tell on that until you get in there."They've now been " Walt Weiss Jersey in there", and the best-case scenario gives Smith a chance to return for the playoffs -- should the Vikings secure a seat in the postseason. The third-year talent was set to potentially have a breakout year in 2021, after being a solid rotational target for quarterback over the previous two seasons. A former second-round pick out of Alabama, Smith is a former second-team All-SEC talent who made an impact with 311 receiving Jed Lowrie Jersey yards and two touchdowns in only seven starts as a rookie. He'd up both numbers in Year 2, finishing with 365 receiving yards and five touchdowns in the same number of starts. With Smith likely lost for the season, the Vikings made a move to bolster the position by . , who has been out most of camp with a hamstring injury, is also in the mix.With Zimmer looking to fully unleash him in 2021, it stands Terry Steinbach Jersey to reason Smith could do some real damage when he returns to 100 percent, and that is especially true when factoring in the presence of and breakout receiving star for opposing defenses to account for.But, for now, all he can do is heal and wait. It's time for the Vikings to make their move in the NFC North. Can Kirk Cousins, and Justin Jefferson get the job done? . If you've already downloaded Jose Canseco Jersey the CBS Sports app, favorite the Vikings right now to get all the top headlines out of Minnesota.