A Look At New Saints TE Alex Smith
Apparently the New Orleans Saints like former Cincinnati Bengals tight ends because it was reported that they now have three on the roster.
Orson Charles was signed last year and recently Kevin Brock joined him so the team could have some depth at the position.
Now due to the injury, and subsequent release of rookie Jack Tabb, Alex Smith becomes the newest former Bengal to join the Saints.
Dec 8, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Alex Smith (81) reacts after a call was reviewed for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Smith played tight end for Stanford where he was a starter from 2002-2004 and ended his career there with 107 receptions for 1,291 yards and eight touchdowns.
During his senior season while an honors candidate, he finished with 52 receptions for 706 yards and three touchdowns
He had his best game that year against Arizona State where he had 5 receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
Ironically during an interview while at Stanford, Smith named former Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey as someone whom he patterns his game after.
He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and was the next tight end to be taken after the Pittsburgh Steelers chose Heath Miller in Round 1.
Smith had the most productive years of his career with the Bucs where he averaged 32 receptions for 313 yards and almost 3 touchdowns a season from 2005-2008.
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He was then briefly a member of the New England Patriots after being traded there by the Bucs for a 2010 fifth round draft pick in April of 2009 but was released in September of that year.
After spending 2009-2010 with the Philadelphia Eagles, he spent three seasons with the Cleveland Browns(2010-2012) and then two with the Cincinnati Bengals(2013-2014).
After seeing decent numbers in Tampa Bay, Smith never was quite the role player for his stints with the Eagles, Browns, or Bengals.
His best year following the trade to New England was in 2011 with the Browns where he played in 14 games and caught 14 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown.
Dec 8, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Alex Smith (81) reacts after a call was reviewed for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
This past year he was only active for two games and didn’t register a single catch, the lowest since 2010 where he was only active for three games with the Browns and had a single reception for six yards.
Smith won’t be an imposing force for the Saints and at 6-4, 250 lbs., is similar in size to current tight end Josh Hill(6-5, 250 lbs.).
With Hill missing some practices possibly due to an injury and not getting too much recognition in camp so far, this is the opportunity for Smith to battle for one of the spots underneath projected #1 tight end Benjamin Watson.
Of course he’ll have to battle it out with fellow Bengals alumni in Charles and Brock, with Charles leading the way so far by a small margin.
One thing Saints fans won’t have to worry about is Smith’s character with the team since in the same interview mentioned earlier while at Stanford, he was asked about his most prized possession to which he simply said: his Bible………