Minnesota Vikings: George Iloka means bigger things for Harrison Smith

In a somewhat surprising move, the Minnnesota Vikings signed free agent safety George Iloka on Wednesday. Here’s why his presence could mean bigger things for incumbent Harrison Smith.

With the signing of George Iloka on Wednesday morning, the Minnesota Vikings bolstered an already stacked defense. Iloka, who was released Sunday by the Cincinnati Bengals, has played in 83 games since being drafted in 2012. The former fifth-rounder has nine interceptions over his career. The Bengals released him purely for financial reasons.

So what does the addition of Iloka mean for All-Pro Minnesota safety Harrison Smith? The Vikings already utilized Smith in a variety of ways last season, but with a new addition at his position, perhaps Mike Zimmer has a few other ideas up his sleeve.

To review, last season Smith allowed a passer rating of just 22.0 when targeted, the lowest rating allowed by any safety, according to Pro Football Focus’ rankings at safety for 2018. When he did allow a completion, however, Smith allowed merely 3.33 yards per target, which was also the lowest among safeties, per PFF on Twitter. Needless to say, Smith subscribes to the “no-fly zone” theory.

That being said, he isn’t just a one-trick pony. Although coverage is his strong-suit, the three-time Pro Bowler possesses an extremely diverse skill-set, showing the ability to stop the run, play in the slot and even rush the passer.

Keep in mind, his traditional role is free safety.

The Vikings didn’t care though, as Minnesota moved Smith all over in 2017. He lined up as a deep safety 38.5 percent of the time, lined up in the box as a hybrid-safety/linebacker 44.6 percent of the time, and even spent some time split out wide or in the slot as a cornerback, per PFF. Smith was sent on a blitz 28 times last season, generating pressure 10 times for two sacks when rushing the passer.

In summary, there really isn’t a position Smith can’t play on defense, which is why the signing of Iloka could prove to be extremely valuable. Iloka’s strongest skill-set is arguably as a deep safety, which could allow Zimmer to move Smith wherever he’s needed, rather than being restricted to the back half of the defense.

It should also be noted that Zimmer is familiar with Iloka’s abilities and weaknesses, as the two spent time together in 2012 and 2013 when Zimmer was Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator.

Although George Iloka isn’t a flashy signing, a player of his skill-set isn’t something that comes around often in late August. His presence could pay huge dividends for fellow safety Harrison Smith and, in turn, the rest of the Vikings defense.