Bears WR Rome Odunze Adjusting To ‘New Normal’ After Foot Injury
After going ninth overall in the 2024 draft, Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze played a full 17-game rookie season. Teaming with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the first overall pick in the class, Odunze caught 54 of 101 targets for 734 yards and three touchdowns.
There was optimism both Odunze and Williams would make significant progress in Year 2. Williams lived up to the billing and took obvious steps forward under first-year head coach/offensive guru Ben Johnson. The one-time Heisman Trophy winner helped the Bears to an 11-6 record and an NFC North title, feats he and the team achieved without Odunze anywhere close to full strength.
Odunze dealt with a stress fracture and plantar fasciitis in his left foot from October onward. The nagging foot problems limited the 6-foot-3, 214-pounder to 12 regular-season games and held him to 44 catches on 90 targets, 661 yards and six scores. Odunze then posted matching two-catch, 44-yard showings in the Bears’ playoff games – a wild-card round win over the Packers and an overtime divisional-round loss to the Rams. He had a costly opening-drive drop near the L.A. goal line. Two plays later, Williams threw an interception.
Odunze recently said he is adjusting to a “new normal” with his foot in the wake of the fracture, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, but he did not require offseason surgery to fix the issue. The Bears appear confident Odunze will bounce back from the injury in 2026, having traded durable starting receiver D.J. Moore to the Bills. After shipping out Moore, the Bears made modest free agent investments in Kalif Raymond (one year, $3.5MM) and Scotty Miller (one year, $1.3MM), who are not starting-caliber receivers, and spent a third-round pick on former LSU wideout Zavion Thomas.
Odunze and promising second-year man Luther Burden will enter the season as the Bears’ clear-cut starters at the position. It will be an especially important season for Odunze, as Chicago will have to make a choice on his fifth-year option by next spring. The Bears will pick up the option and perhaps even consider an extension if Odunze stays healthy and plays up to or close to his potential this year. Otherwise, he may not have a long-term future with the Bears, who Fishbain notes have not extended one of their drafted receivers since they gave Earl Bennett a four-year deal in 2011.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/20/26
Only one NFL team made a minor move on Monday…
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Isaiah Iton
After going undrafted out of Rutgers in 2024, Iton spent his first season on the Titans’ practice squad. He first landed in New England after Tennessee cut him in the spring of 2025. Iton played in the Patriots’ first two preseason games and totaled three tackles, including one TFL, but he suffered a leg injury in late August and ended up on IR. Now healthy, Iton will once again attempt to earn a roster spot with the Patriots this summer.
S Jordan Whitehead Drawing Interest
Former Buccaneers and Jets safety Jordan Whitehead fractured his neck in a January 2025 car crash, temporarily throwing his career off course. Whitehead received medical clearance last July and then met with the Falcons and Ravens, but he did not sign anywhere.
Even though he missed last season, Whitehead remains on the NFL radar. The 29-year-old is now fully cleared to resume his career, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who adds Whitehead had recent workouts with the Texans and Colts. He is likely to meet with more teams soon, per Garafolo.
Since the Buccaneers took him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, Whitehead has started in 101 of 105 games, made 557 tackles, deflected 45 passes and hauled in 11 interceptions. He was a full-time starter on the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV-winning team in 2020. He left Tampa Bay in 2022 to sign a two-year, $14MM contract with the Jets.
After starting in 34 straight games and picking off six passes as a Jet, Whitehead reunited with the Buccaneers on a two-year, $9MM pact in 2024. He remained a full-time starter in his return to Tampa Bay, but he played just 12 games and went without an INT for the second time in his career. The severe neck injury Whitehead suffered in the car crash kept him out of the Buccaneers’ regular-season finale and their wild-card round loss to the Commanders. Several weeks later, the Bucs made Whitehead a free agent when they decided not to exercise his roster bonus.
Whitehead has been sitting on the open market for 17 months, but signing with the Texans would give him a chance to earn a spot on one of the NFL’s premier defenses. He would vie for a backup role behind Calen Bullock and Reed Blankenship, an ex-Eagle who is entering the first season of a three-year, $24.75MM contract.
The Colts have Cam Bynum locked into one starting safety spot. They lost their other 2025 starter, Nick Cross, to the Commanders in free agency, but third-round rookie A.J. Haulcy is the favorite to take over for him. Whitehead would at least give Indianapolis another backup option to join Jonathan Owens, Juanyeh Thomas and Hunter Wohler. Owens has 82 games and 35 starts to his name, but Thomas has come off in the bench in 32 of 36 contests. A seventh-round pick in 2025, Wohler missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury.
Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza Likely To Get Some First-Team Reps In Camp
Although the Raiders spent the first overall pick in this year’s draft on former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, veteran free agent pickup Kirk Cousins is the favorite to win the starting job. As rookie head coach Klint Kubiak eases Mendoza in, he will likely “sprinkle” in some first-team reps for the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and national champion this summer, according to Albert Breer of SI.com.
The Raiders will hold their first training camp practice on July 29, though Mendoza and the rest of their rookies are scheduled to report on July 23. That gives Mendoza just a couple more days to sign his rookie contract and join his first-year teammates on time. As things stand, he is one of just six picks from the entire 2026 class without a deal.
Mendoza’s four-year pact will check in at approximately $57.27MM, including a $38.11MM signing bonus, per the NFL’s rookie wage scale. The value is already established, but the delay in Mendoza’s case could have something to do with the signing bonus schedule. As PFR’s Rory Parks explained last month, all No. 1 overall selections since 2020 have received lump sum signing bonuses. The Raiders may prefer to buck that trend, though, having given their recent first-rounders 77.5% of their signing bonuses within 15 days of signing, 12.5% in mid-September and the last 10% in mid-October.
Whatever the cause(s) of the holdup, it will be a surprise if Mendoza goes much longer with a contract. Holdouts have become a rarity since the league implemented the rookie wage scale in 2011, and the Raiders know they need to get the potential long-term face of their franchise up to speed. While he had a highly successful three-year college career divided between Cal and Indiana, Mendoza took a mere five snaps from under center in 36 games (h/t: Kevin Patra of NFL.com). That will change under Kubiak, who did not rely much on the shotgun formation during offensive coordinator stints with the Vikings (2021), Saints (2024) and Seahawks (2025).
Kubiak was the Vikings’ QBs coach from 2019-20 before his one-year run as their O-coordinator. Cousins, then their starter, made two of his four Pro Bowls during that stretch. The connection Cousins and Kubiak formed in Minnesota is among the reasons Mendoza will probably begin his career as a backup, though it appears he will at least garner some first-team experience in the next several weeks.
Pats Showed Interest In WR Jake Bobo
The Seahawks nearly lost role-playing wide receiver Jake Bobo to the Jaguars during the offseason. Then a restricted free agent, Bobo signed the Jags’ two-year, $5.5MM offer sheet in March. It didn’t take long for the Seahawks to match the offer, though it turns out Jacksonville wasn’t the only team that had interest in prying Bobo from Seattle. The Patriots also checked in, Bobo confirmed to Greg Dudek of the Boston Herald.
““They were,” Bobo said when Dudek asked if the Patriots were in on him in free agency.
Signing with New England would have given Bobo a chance to return to his home state of Massachusetts. It also would have meant going from the Super Bowl champion to the runner-up. Bobo played 35 snaps (19 on special teams, 16 on offense) in the Seahawks’ 29-13 Super Bowl LX defeat of the Patriots. He did not record a catch, though he did snag a pivotal 17-yard touchdown in the Seahawks’ 31-27 win over the Rams in the NFC title game.
Bobo’s score in the NFC championship was by far the biggest offensive contribution he made all year. Over 11 regular-season games, he made just two catches for 20 yards. The Seahawks have never counted on Bobo to chip in much as a pass catcher during his three-year career. The former undrafted free agent from UCLA set across-the-board personal bests in receptions (19), yards (196) and scores (two) during a 17-game rookie campaign in 2023. He played another full season in 2024, but his numbers dipped to 13 catches, 107 yards and a TD.
Bobo’s offensive impact has been minimal, but clubs like him as a back-end wideout who provides value as a special teamer. He played a personal-high 314 special teams snaps two years ago. Naturally, that figure dropped (to 134) during a truncated 2025. Along with missing time with head, calf and Achilles injuries, the Seahawks made him a healthy scratch on two occasions late in the season. They nonetheless kept him around to continue as a fourth or fifth wideout/special teams stalwart. Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp make up the Seahawks’ top three receivers, while Tory Horton should be ready for training camp after a shin injury ended his rookie season in early November.
It is unclear how seriously the Patriots considered an offer sheet for Bobo, but they found other, more meaningful ways to address their receiving corps in the offseason. After releasing Stefon Diggs in March, they quickly added former Packer Romeo Doubs on a four-year, $68MM deal in free agency. They later acquired three-time Pro Bowler A.J. Brown in a long-anticipated trade with the Eagles on June 1. Brown and Doubs are atop a deep group that also includes Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas and Efton Chism.
Seahawks Place Nick Emmanwori, Two Others On PUP List
The Seahawks have placed defensive back Nick Emmanwori on the active/physically unable to perform list, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Running back Kenny McIntosh and cornerback Tyrone Broden are also going on active/PUP ahead of training camp. Seahawks veterans will report July 24.
There is no word on why Emmanwori landed on the list, as Brady Henderson of ESPN notes the second-year man took part in OTAs and minicamp. McIntosh is still on the mend from the ACL tear he suffered last July, while Broden is working back from an undisclosed injury he incurred last November. All three players are eligible to come off active/PUP and begin practicing at any time. However, if they are still on the list when teams finalize their rosters on Aug. 30, they will move to reserve/PUP and miss at least the first four games of the regular season.
Emmanwori, the most notable player in this trio, finished as the runner-up to Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting last season. Taken 35th overall in the 2025 draft, the former South Carolina star tallied 81 tackles, 18 pressures (most among safeties), 11 passes defensed, nine TFL, four QB hits, 2.5 sacks and an interception over 14 games and 11 starts.
While playing 768 snaps, the seventh-highest total on an elite defense, the versatile Emmanwori saw significant time as a slot corner and a box safety. He also played 113 snaps near the line of scrimmage. Emmanwori added another 13 tackles, four PDs and a fumble recovery in three playoff games. He notched five tackles in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots. Between the regular season and playoffs, he was the only safety in the league to rack up at least 15 pressures and 10 PDs, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Barring a serious injury, Emmanwori will once again fill a major role as a chess piece under head coach Mike Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde in 2026. Thanks in part to Emmanwori’s efforts, Seattle’s defense finished last season first in scoring and 10th against the pass.
NFL Suspends Cardinals Exec Ryan Gold For Violating Gambling Policy
JULY 19: In a statement today, Gold’s attorney, Mike Caspino, called the NFL’s accusations “blatantly false” as he demanded an appeal of the league’s decision. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Caspino voiced belief that the NFL’s case against his client lacks strength.
Per Schefter, the attorney claimed that Gold could not have leaked draft pick information because he didn’t know who they were picking at the time and only team owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort did. As for the parlay bets, Caspino asserts that the gambling activity attributed to Gold was actually Gold’s wife making weekly $10 bets “with a group of high school friends on parlays and that Gold was not involved.”
JULY 17: The NFL has suspended Cardinals director of college scouting Ryan Gold indefinitely for violating its gambling policy. The ban will take effect immediately, but Gold has the right to appeal it.
As part of its announcement, the NFL stated (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter): “The League’s investigation determined that Gold provided confidential, non-public inside information regarding 2026 Draft selections by the Cardinals before they were announced, and that Mr. Gold participated in parlay bets on NFL and college games. Although there is no reason to believe the integrity of any NFL game was affected, the League takes any violation of the Gambling Policy with the utmost seriousness.”
The Cardinals made their own statement in response to Gold’s suspension, saying in part (via the Associated Press): “We fully support the league’s decision in this matter, which involves a single employee. Our focus remains on preparing for the start of training camp next week and the 2026 season.”
The Cardinals fully cooperated with the league’s investigation, the AP reports. Prior to his suspension, the Cardinals employed Gold in various roles for 13 years. After three years as the team’s assistant director of college scouting, he earned a promotion to his most recent position in June 2025.
Gold’s ban is the first time the league has handed down discipline for violating its gambling policy since it suspended then-Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers indefinitely in June 2023. The league reinstated Rodgers in April 2024.
Baker Mayfield Aiming For $50MM Per Year In Extension Talks?
Buccaneers veterans will report to training camp on July 28, quarterback Baker Mayfield‘s self-imposed deadline for contract negotiations. If an extension does not come together by then, Mayfield could play out the last season of his current deal and head into 2027 as an impending free agent.
Both the Buccaneers and Mayfield have publicly expressed interest in a long-term agreement, but they have not bridged the gap in talks. While Mayfield’s exact asking price is unknown, something in the range of $50MM per annum “certainly seems like the benchmark” for the 31-year-old and his camp, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said during Friday’s edition of “The Insiders.”
Mayfield was on the verge of reaching the open market in March 2024, but he accepted the Buccaneers’ three-year, $100MM offer with $50MM in guarantees. At the time, he became the NFL’s 15th-highest paid signal-caller by guarantees and 16th in terms of annual value. Mayfield remains 16th at his position in AAV ($33.3MM), but there are now a dozen QBs raking in $50MM or more per year. The Browns’ Deshaun Watson ($46MM) and the Colts’ Daniel Jones ($44MM) are next in line. Watson has been a disaster in Cleveland, where he replaced Mayfield in 2022, while Jones has arguably gone through more downs than ups during his seven-year career.
Mayfield has easily outproduced Watson and Jones in recent years, which at least gives him an argument to approach $50MM per season on his next contract. Since reviving his career as Tom Brady‘s successor in Tampa Bay in 2023, Mayfield has thrown for 4,000 yards twice, tossed 95 touchdowns against 37 interceptions, logged a 97.3 passer rating and earned a pair of Pro Bowl selections. He also led the Buccaneers to the playoffs in his first two seasons as their starter, but he and the team took steps backward during an 8-9, injury-plagued year in 2025. While Mayfield was badly banged up for almost the entire season, he still managed to start all 17 games.
Mayfield has never missed a game as a Buccaneer, yet the club has shown concern over his health during the negotiating process. That is seemingly among the reasons Tampa Bay has not met Mayfield’s demands, but perhaps they will find common ground in the next 10 days. Otherwise, if Mayfield doesn’t budge on his negotiating deadline, he will not reengage with the Bucs until next year (if at all).
Poll: Will Pats Remain Elite In 2026?
Beginning life after Bill Belichick in 2024, the Patriots stumbled through their second straight 4-13 season under rookie head coach Jerod Mayo. Although Mayo put together a successful career as a Patriots linebacker from 2008-15, owner Robert Kraft did not give him a second year on the sidelines. Kraft canned Mayo in January 2025 and replaced him with Mike Vrabel, another of the team’s ex-linebackers.
Unlike Mayo, Vrabel had already proven himself as a head coach when he took the Patriots’ job. While in charge of the Titans from 2018-23, Vrabel posted a respectable 54-45 regular-season record and went to the playoffs three times. Between the upgrade from Mayo to Vrabel and optimism surrounding second-year quarterback Drake Maye, expectations were the Patriots would show legitimate progress last season.
Not only did the Patriots improve in Year 1 under Vrabel, but they engineered one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NFL history. After storming to a 14-3 mark in the regular season and snapping the Bills’ five-year streak of AFC East titles, the Patriots knocked off the Chargers, Texans and Broncos in the playoffs to earn a berth in Super Bowl LX. That ended up as a night to forget for New England, which fell 29-13 to Seattle, but its season was a resounding success overall. Vrabel won Coach of the Year, while Maye finished second to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in the MVP race.
The Patriots were clearly among the league’s elite last season, yet there is skepticism they will stay in the same company this year. Detractors will point to their 2025 slate of opponents as an obvious argument for negative regression. The Patriots, who won just two regular-season games against playoff teams (the Panthers and Bills), faced the easiest schedule since the 1999 Rams. They played teams with a combined .391 winning percentage. It appears it will be far more difficult in 2026 for the Pats, who will tackle the sixth-hardest schedule based on their opponents’ winning percentage from last year (.531).
Going up against what should be a tougher group of opponents, will Maye continue his MVP-level play? He was unquestionably in that class last year. The 2024 third overall pick from North Carolina ranked first in the league in completion percentage (72%), passer rating (113.5), QBR (77.1) and yards per attempt (8.9). Maye also scored 35 touchdowns (31 passing, four rushing) against just eight interceptions and ran for the fourth-most yards among QBs (450).
Maye did not turn in anything close to an MVP-caliber playoff performance, though inclement weather hurt his cause in wins against the Texans and Broncos. Over four games, Maye connected on 58.3% of passes, tossed six TDs and four INTs, and registered an 82.2 rating with a 40.0 QBR. The Patriots got through the AFC bracket largely because of a defense that allowed a measly 19 points in three games. They gave up just seven in their AFC title game win in snowy Denver, which had to turn to backup signal-caller Jarrett Stidham in place of an injured Bo Nix. Things came crashing down against Seattle, whose swarming defense bullied the Patriots’ O-line (mainly banged-up rookie left tackle Will Campbell). The Seahawks hit Maye 11 times, sacked him six times, and intercepted him twice in a lopsided affair.
Between the regular season and the playoffs, Maye took 68 sacks in 2025. Part of that had to do with a late-season knee injury to Campbell, last year’s fourth overall pick. He went on IR with a sprained MCL ahead of Week 13, and though he came back in time for the postseason, playing with a torn ligament hampered his performance. The Patriots are sticking with a healthy Campbell at left tackle in 2026. Morgan Moses (right tackle) and Michael Onwenu (right guard) also remain in the fold as first-teamers. This will probably be Moses’ last year as a starter in New England, which has first-round rookie Caleb Lomu waiting in the wings. If all goes to according to plan, Campbell and Lomu will be the club’s long-term bookends.
Elsewhere up front, the Patriots will have different starters along the interior. Jared Wilson was the Pats’ No. 1 left guard as a third-round rookie in 2025, but he is taking over at center (his position at Georgia) for Garrett Bradbury, whom the Patriots traded to the Bears. Former Jet Alijah Vera-Tucker will man left guard if he stays healthy, which has not been a given during his five-year career. While his talent has never been in question, injuries limited Vera-Tucker to 43 of 85 games in New York. AVT missed all of last season with a torn triceps, but it didn’t stop the Patriots from taking a three-year, $42MM gamble on him in free agency.
The Patriots’ O-line changes are noteworthy, but they pale in comparison to the offseason action that took place in their receiving corps. Stefon Diggs led the resurgent franchise in targets, catches and yards in 2025, the first season of a three-year, $69MM deal. Little did he know it would be the only season he would play in New England.
In a move that freed up over $16MM in cap space, the Patriots released the 32-year-old Diggs in March. It helped pave the way for two new starter additions at wideout, as the Patriots signed former Packer Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68MM pact and then acquired star A.J. Brown from the Eagles for a 2028 first-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder. The Brown trade, which reunited him with Vrabel from their days in Tennessee, seemed inevitable throughout the offseason. As expected, the teams waited to make the deal until June 1 for financial reasons.
As effective as Diggs was in 2025, nobody would argue he is better than Brown at this stage of their respective careers. In a recent survey from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, various executives, coaches and scouts ranked Brown as the game’s ninth-best receiver (Diggs did not make the top 10 or check in among the other 16 wideouts who received votes).
Brown and Doubs are at the front of a talented group of pass catchers that also includes Kayshon Boutte (though he is a rumored trade candidate), Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams. The Patriots also boast a dependable No. 1 tight end, Hunter Henry, and a quality running back duo in Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. Even if the Patriots subtract Boutte, DeMario Douglas or Efton Chism from their receiving corps, Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels should have more than enough weapons.
The Patriots’ offense ranked a stellar second in scoring and third in yards last season. The club was similarly successful on the other side of the ball, as its defense allowed the fourth-fewest points and the eighth-fewest yards in the league. The Patriots accomplished that with inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr filling in at defensive coordinator for Terrell Williams, who battled cancer in 2025. Fortunately, Williams is now cancer-free, but he now has a different position in the organization. With the team reassigning Williams, Kuhr is now the full-time D-coordinator.
Kuhr will work with a cast similar to the one he had last year, though the Patriots picked up new starting safety Kevin Byard in free agency. As a member of the Bears in 2025, Byard led the league in interceptions (seven) en route to his third first-team All-Pro nod and his third Pro Bowl selection. The soon-to-be 33-year-old Byard’s age limited his earning power in free agency (one year, $9MM), but the Patriots expect him to serve as an upgrade over now-Raven Jaylinn Hawkins.
Byard, fellow safety Craig Woodson, shutdown No. 1 cornerback Christian Gonzalez, starting corner Carlton Davis and nickel CB Marcus Jones will be a burden to deal with for opposing offenses. Turning to the defensive front, linemen Milton Williams and Christian Barmore and inside linebackers Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss should continue to comprise a formidable group. The Patriots lost nose tackle Khyiris Tonga to the Chiefs in free agency, but Cory Durden looks like a capable replacement after holding his own over almost 400 defensive snaps last season.
The biggest question on New England’s defense is along the edge. Despite finishing 19th in pass rush win rate and tying for 26th in sacks last year, the Patriots did little (if anything) to upgrade. They swapped out K’Lavon Chaisson for Dre’Mont Jones in free agency and then spent the 55th overall pick on former Illinois pass rusher Gabe Jacas, one of six NFL rookies who still has not signed a contract. Jacas, who underwent knee surgery at some point, did not participate at rookie minicamp or report to mandatory minicamp. Whether he will sign in time for training camp or make any kind of impact as a rookie is up in the air.
If Jacas contributes little to nothing, it would put further onus on Jones and Harold Landry to lead what may be a second straight unspectacular pass rush. Like Jacas, Landry isn’t the picture of health. While Landry had a team-best 8.5 sacks in 15 games last year, he battled knee problems throughout the campaign. Those issues have dragged on for Landry, who did not participate in minicamp. We’ll see how active the 30-year-old is when the Patriots begin training camp practice later this month.
Despite concerns over a tougher schedule and a questionable pass rush, New England continues to look like a well-coached team with plenty of talent. While matching or improving on 14 wins may be too much to ask, the Patriots currently have the third-best odds to win the AFC (behind the Ravens and Bills) and the fifth-highest odds to win Super Bowl LXI.
Will the reigning AFC champs remain among the game’s premier teams in 2026? Vote in PFR’s latest poll.
How many regular-season games will the Patriots win in 2026?
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9-10 45% (420)
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11 or more 34% (314)
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8 or fewer 21% (190)
Total votes: 924
Texans RT Braden Smith Had Neck Surgery; Expected Back For Camp
JULY 18: As Wilson notes, Brown is indeed seen as Houston’s swing tackle. He will be tasked with handling right tackle duties if Smith is not at full strength by the start of the season.
JULY 17: While a member of the Colts in 2025, right tackle Braden Smith went on season-ending IR with neck and head injuries in mid-December. Now, as he prepares to enter the first season of a two-year, $25MM contract with the Texans, Smith is on the mend from neck surgery, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports.
Smith was limited during the spring, but the 6-foot-6, 312-pounder is “tracking toward a full recovery for training camp,” according to Wilson. A full-time starter throughout his eight-year run in Indianapolis, Smith is expected to serve as the Texans’ No. 1 right tackle if healthy. If not, the Texans retained Trent Brown on a one-year, $7MM deal in free agency, giving them established insurance at the position.
Availability has not been a given for Smith, whose lone full season came back in 2019. Smith temporarily became the game’s highest-paid right tackle in July 2021, when the Colts handed him a four-year, $72MM contract extension. But the former second-rounder from Auburn went on to amass 23 absences over the next half-decade, including four in 2025.
Over 13 appearances in his final year with the Colts, Smith yielded just one sack. Unsurprisingly, Pro Football Focus gave him a solid grade as a pass blocker (71.9). However, in PFF’s estimation, he struggled in the running game (58.0). Overall, the outlet ranked Smith a below-average 48th out of 84 qualified tackles.
Adding Smith and re-signing Brown were among several offseason moves the Texans made to address their offensive line. It began when they traded guard/tackle Tytus Howard to Cleveland in early March. General manager Nick Caserio then re-signed right guard Ed Ingram (three years, $37.5MM) and brought in Wyatt Teller (two years, $16MM) in free agency. Teller was a stalwart right guard with the Browns from 2019-25, but he could start on the left side in Houston. First-round rookie Keylan Rutledge may also be an option at left guard, though that will depend on whether he beats out Jake Andrews for the starting center job.