HEADLINES

Chris Smith

Ravens To Sign Chris Smith

July 26th, 2021 at 5:53pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Chris Smith is making another stop on his AFC North tour. The free agent defensive end has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Ravens, his agent Drew Rosenhaus announced.

Smith has previously spent time with the Bengals and Browns over the past few years. Baltimore worked out a group of pass-rushers Monday, which also included former third overall pick Dion Jordan and Shilique Calhoun, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Smith apparently won that competition. The Arkansas product originally entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2014.

He played sparingly in Jacksonville, then was traded to Cincy before the 2017 season. He played solid in a rotational role, notching three sacks, four tackles for loss, and two passes defended. That earned him a three-year contract from the Browns, although he was cut after a season and a half.

He latched on with the Raiders last year, and bounced between their practice squad and active roster. Smith turned 29 back in February. Baltimore doesn’t have a ton at defensive end right now beyond Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Smith ends up making the team.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/20

December 12th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Here is Saturday’s usual barrage of minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jachai Polite; Polite tested positive for the coronavirus, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (via Twitter)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/7/20

November 7th, 2020 at 5:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/10/20

October 10th, 2020 at 4:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is the latest barrage of Saturday minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Badara Traore

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Greg Mabin

Washington Football Team

Raiders Place Marcus Mariota On IR, Add DeShone Kizer To P-Squad

September 7th, 2020 at 6:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have placed quarterback Marcus Mariota on injured reserve, per a club announcement. For added insurance, the club has added one-time Notre Dame star DeShone Kizer to the Raiders’ practice squad. 

Mariota’s strained pectoral muscle will keep him out for at least three weeks, per the league’s modified rules for 2020. Without him, the Raiders are rolling with two QBs on the active roster – Derek Carr and Nathan Peterman. Mariota’s temporary absence may take a little bit of pressure off of Derek Carr, who has certainly heard the footsteps. Mariota, who was leapfrogged by Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee, finished the year with a career-low 59.4% completion rate and just 1,203 yards.

Kizer has been on the workout trail ever since he was cut by the club in May, but those tryouts didn’t land him a deal. Now, the 2017 second-round pick will stick around in Las Vegas as he waits for his next opportunity. Kizer, 24, has made 18 appearances over the course of his NFL career, most of which came during the Browns’ winless season. All in all, he’s got eleven touchdowns against 24 interceptions.

Here’s the full rundown of the Raiders’ practice squad after Monday’s move:

Raiders Release DL Chris Smith

September 5th, 2020 at 12:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Despite signing with the Raiders in late August, Chris Smith is once again a free agent. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Las Vegas has released the veteran defensive lineman.

The 2014 fifth-round pick out of Arkansas spent the first three seasons of his career with the Jaguars, but he’s bounced around a bit since. After spending the 2017 campaign with the Bengals, Smith spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Browns. He signed with the Panthers earlier this offseason, but he was cut by the organization in late July. He caught on with the Raiders a few weeks later.

In total, the 28-year-old has seen time in 60 regular season games (two starts), compiling 67 tackles and 8.5 sacks. His 2017 and 2018 seasons proved to be two of the best of his career, as he averaged 15.5 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumbles per year.

Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby, Carl Nassib, Arden Key seemed to be locked in at defensive end for the Raiders, so it wasn’t going to be easy for Smith to make the roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/20

August 24th, 2020 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Waived: CB Duke Thomas

Buffalo Bills

  • Placed on reserve/retired list: CB Ike Brown

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Panthers Release DE Chris Smith

July 30th, 2020 at 3:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to releasing kicker Graham Gano, the Panthers parted ways with another vested veteran Thursday. They cut defensive end Chris Smith, David Newton of ESPN.com notes.

The Panthers signed Smith as a street free agent just before the new league year began. A six-year veteran, Smith signed a one-year deal with Carolina in March. He has played for the Jaguars, Bengals and Browns in a six-year career.

Smith’s two-year Cleveland tenure involved a tragedy; his girlfriend was killed in a traffic accident in September 2019. Smith played nine games for the Browns last season. He started two for Cleveland in 2018 but worked as a depth piece for the Jaguars and Bengals. He visited both the Bengals and Panthers in March.

Teams are gradually moving their rosters from the 90-man limit to 80 players, which will be the most teams can carry when on-field work begins August 16. While most teams have opted to cut less experienced players, the Panthers chose to jettison two more veterans during a year in which the team parted ways with numerous high-profile players.

Panthers To Sign Chris Smith

March 4th, 2020 at 6:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have agreed to sign defensive lineman Chris Smith, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal that will allow Smith to stay local as he returns to football.

Smith was away from the game in 2019 after the tragic death of his girlfriend. Recently, Smith’s camp reached out to teams to let them know that he was ready to make his NFL return. The Arkansas product met with the Panthers on Tuesday and the Bengals on Wednesday, but ultimately circled back to Charlotte to sign his deal. The 28-year-old hails from North Carolina.

The former fifth-rounder spent the first three seasons of his career with the Jaguars before moving on to the Bengals in 2017. In Cincy, he appeared in a career-high 16 games and compiled 26 tackles and three sacks, earning him a three-year contract with the Browns. He appeared in 16 games for the Browns during the 2018 season, but he was limited to only nine games this past year.

It’s already been a busy day for the Panthers. Earlier, the team made a trade with the Chargers that would send tackle Russell Okung to Carolina and guard Trai Turner to Los Angeles.

Chris Smith To Visit Bengals

March 4th, 2020 at 2:37pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Chris Smith is starting to generate a good amount of interest. The free agent defensive lineman is visiting the Bengals today after meeting with the Panthers yesterday, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). We heard last week that Smith was feeling better and was ready to resume his career after the tragic death of his girlfriend and mother of his child in a car accident, and things are starting to heat up for him.

As Schefter points out there is plenty of familiarity here, as the Arkansas product spent the 2017 season in Cincinnati. He was solid in a rotational role, racking up 26 tackles and three sacks. The strong play earned him a three-year deal with the Browns the following offseason. He returned to play for Cleveland briefly after his girlfriend’s death, but was waived shortly after and it’s unclear if he asked to be.

Since he didn’t finish the season on an NFL roster, Smith doesn’t have to wait for free agency to open and is eligible to sign right away. Originally drafted in the fifth-round by the Jaguars back in 2014, Smith just turned 28 last month. It sure seems like he will be scooped up by someone sooner rather than later.

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