The Houston Texans signed free-agent tight end Irv Smith and former starting center Scott Quessenberry to their practice squad on Tuesday following successful tryouts, according to league sources. Smith, a former second-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings out of Alabama, will give Houston more depth at the TE position behind Dalton Schultz, Brevin Jordan and rookie Cade Stover. He has 109 career receptions for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career with the Vikings, Bengals and Chiefs, but injuries have really held him back from reaching his true ceiling. Texans center Juice Scruggs (groin), who missed the Week 2 win over the Bears on Sunday night, is on track to return this week against the Vikings, but Quessenberry will give the team more depth at the position. Quessenberry started for Houston two seasons ago when Justin Britt stepped away for personal reasons.
The Houston Texans hosted free-agent tight end Irv Smith for a workout on Tuesday. Smith spent the offseason with the Kansas City Chiefs but was released after final roster cuts. Smith is a hyper-athletic tight end but has never put it all together in his career to enjoy sustained success. Should the Texans sign Smith, it would likely be to add depth to a tight end room that already includes Dalton Schultz and Brevin Jordan.
The Kansas City Chiefs released former second-round tight end Irv Smith Jr. on Tuesday as they continue to cut their roster down ahead of the 2024 regular season. Smith will now be looking for a new team with less than two weeks before Week 1 kicks off. The 26-year-old was taken 50th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 out of Alabama and has been a bust through his first four seasons, with last year coming with the Cincinnati Bengals. In his four NFL campaigns, Smith has caught 109 of his 152 targets for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns in 49 games played (21 starts). Injuries have gotten in the way, but he also just hasn't performed up to expectations. Behind All-Pro Travis Kelce, the Chiefs will head into the regular season with Noah Gray and rookie Jared Wiley providing them with depth at the position.
Cincinnati Bengals free-agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, according to a source. Smith had a lot of potential when he entered the league as the Minnesota Vikings' second-round pick in 2019 out of Alabama, but he hasn't lived up to the hype. The 25-year-old had his best season in his second year in the NFL, catching 30 of his 43 targets for 365 yards and five touchdowns with the Vikes in 2020. In his first and only season with the Cincinnati Bengals last year, he had 18 catches on 26 targets for 115 yards and one touchdown in 12 games. In Kansas City, Smith will merely be serving as tight end insurance behind the aging Travis Kelce.
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr. is a healthy scratch for the Week 18 regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Bengals have also chosen to rest cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (shoulder), who came into the game listed as questionable. The Bengals have nothing to play for but pride in the final game of the regular season after being eliminated from postseason contention last week. The Browns are locked into the No. 5 seed for the AFC playoffs, too, so both teams are resting players. With Smith out for Cincy, the Bengals will roll with tight ends Tanner Hudson, Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox. None of them specifically are worth chasing for fantasy purposes. The 25-year-old Smith finishes his first year with the Bengals with only 18 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown in 12 games.
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr. had his best showing of the season in the Sunday Night Football victory over the Buffalo Bills, catching three of his four targets for 26 yards and a touchdown. The 25-year-old entered the 2023-24 campaign with plenty of hype, especially with Joe Burrow as his quarterback. Yet, Smith didn't do much in any of the games entering Week 9, so it's safe to say his season has been a disappointment. Of course, some fantasy managers are optimistic he'll keep the momentum going against the Texans on Sunday, considering Tee Higgins (hamstring) is out and Ja'Marr Chase (back) is questionable. However, Smith is still hard to trust, so it may be best to keep him out of any fantasy lineup until he proves he can be reliable.
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr. is no longer on the injury report heading into the Week 5 matchup against the Cardinals. In the two games that he's played so far this season, Smith has yet to get more than 17 yards and has only hauled in five passes out of nine targets. On top of that, the Cardinals have yet to give up a touchdown to the tight end position and they allow slightly fewer fantasy points than the league average. Smith is better left on the waiver wire at this point until he proves to make more of an impact.
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr. (hamstring) was a full participant in Thursday's practice. It's an upgrade from Wednesday's limited session with a hamstring injury, tentatively putting Smith on track to return for Week 5's road affair with the Arizona Cardinals. The 25-year-old has been sidelined for the last two games after suffering the setback during Week 2. Smith would be immediately inserted as Cincinnati's primary pass-catching tight end and could be in for an amplified role if Tee Higgins (ribs) is unable to suit up on Sunday. Smith has hauled in five out of nine targets for 27 yards on the campaign, but the former second-round pick could enter the streaming conversation at a barren position in a beatable matchup if Higgins is out.
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr. (hamstring) returned to practice on Wednesday. It's worth noting that he practiced in a limited capacity after not practicing at all last week. The fourth-year tight end missed the Bengals' previous two games with a hamstring issue but he's trending in the right direction to suit up in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals. Smith has just five catches for 27 scoreless yards across two games this year but the Bengals are more than likely going to be missing wide receiver Tee Higgins (ribs), which could open up more targets. Still, given how poor the Cincinnati offense has looked so far coupled with Smith's limited practice time, he's more of a dart throw--if he ends up playing-- for fantasy purposes.
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr. (hamstring) has been ruled out for the Week 4 contest this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Smith was unable to practice all week and will now be inactive for the second straight game. The oft-injured 25-year-old is off to a bad start in his first year in Cincinnati. In the first two games, he caught just five of his nine targets for 27 yards. Now that he's hurt, Smith belongs on the waiver wire in most fantasy leagues for the foreseeable future. The Bengals got all three of Tanner Hudson, Mitchell Wilcox and Drew Sample involved in the Monday night win over the Los Angeles Rams, but none of them are worth streaming at the tight end position in Week 4 with Smith out again.
