Vikings Waive WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette to Make Room for Jalen Reagor

To make room for recently-acquired wide receiver Jalen Reagor, the Vikings have waived WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

This is another major surprise, on par with Tuesday's decision to waive DL Armon Watts and replace him with a trade acquisition in Ross Blacklock. Watts was expected to be a starter on the Vikings' defensive line, and Smith-Marsette was in line to be the team's No. 4 receiver after Bisi Johnson's ACL injury.

Even after the Vikings traded for Reagor, I assumed Smith-Marsette would be ahead of him on the depth chart. The 2021 fifth-round pick out of Iowa finished his rookie season with a 100-yard game and a touchdown against the Bears, showed plenty of flashes during this year's training camp, and led the Vikings in receiving with 10 catches and 121 yards this preseason.

Smith-Marsette seems very likely to get claimed on waivers on Thursday, but he could end up on the Vikings' practice squad if he doesn't.

The Vikings' new front office, led by GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, continues to go all in on their own hand-picked players. They've now replaced a pair of solid players on rookie contracts in Watts and Smith-Marsette with high-upside reclamation projects from other organizations in Blacklock and Reagor.

Smith-Marsette, incredibly, becomes the seventh member of the Vikings' 11-man 2021 draft class to be waived over the past two days, joining Kellen Mond, Chazz Surratt, Wyatt Davis, Janarius Robinson, Zach Davidson, and Jaylen Twyman.

Only Christian Darrisaw, Patrick Jones II, Cam Bynum, and Kene Nwangwu remain on the active roster from Rick Spielman's final draft class.

I have to say, I don't get this decision. I understand trading for Reagor, but that didn't mean Smith-Marsette had to go. The Vikings could've waived rookie Jalen Nailor instead, or kept six receivers and waived someone like Oli Udoh or Luiji Vilain.

Mond and Watts were claimed on Wednesday by the Browns and Bears, respectively. We'll see if Smith-Marsette gets claimed on Thursday.

The Vikings' depth chart at wide receiver is now Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor, and Jalen Nailor.