Minnesota tight end Irv Smith Jr. will get a game to tune up before the playoffs after being reinstated to the Vikings’ active roster on Saturday.

Smith has not played since he sustained an ankle injury in a 34-26 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 30. The former Alabama standout spent the past nine games on injured reserve.

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By returning to the active roster, Smith becomes eligible to play in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears before the Vikings advance to the postseason as the NFC North champions.

“It’s unique from the standpoint of getting a player of Irv’s caliber back at this point in the season,” Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said. “And he’s worked so hard every single day either with his rehab throughout the process or in the meeting room, and watching him throughout this just commit – a total pro.

“He’s a player I’m excited about. You can talk about depth charts and how you have to list it, but you get into different personnel groupings, however many tight ends you want to have on the field, to have a guy like that joining T.J. (Hockenson) and Johnny (Mundt) is a real positive for our football team.”

Smith had 22 receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns in seven games in 2022 before his injury.

Smith joined Minnesota in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and caught 66 passes for 676 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two seasons while forming a tight-end tandem with Kyle Rudolph.

In 2021, Smith sustained a meniscus injury in the Vikings’ preseason finale and missed the entire season.

Smith’s injury troubles continued at training camp for the 2022 season when he hurt his thumb on Aug. 1 and had surgery the next day. Smith returned to practice on Aug. 22.

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Two other players with Alabama football roots will be eligible to play in Sunday games after not having that status entering the weekend:

· The San Francisco 49ers elevated cornerback Jackrabbit Jenkins (North Alabama) from their practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. In his 11th NFL season, Jenkins will be playing for the second time off San Francisco’s practice squad in the 2022 campaign.

· The Cardinals elevated safety Josh Thomas (Montgomery Academy) from their practice squad for Sunday’s game. Thomas played in an NFL regular-season game for the first time since 2020 when he appeared in last week’s 20-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons as a practice-squad elevation.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.