Atlanta Falcons tight end Lee Smith has decided to call it a career. The 34-year-old tight end has retired from the NFL after 11 years in the league. He spent most of his career with the Buffalo Bills, but also played for the Oakland Raiders and Falcons. Throughout most of his career, Smith was used for special teams and blocking. He finished his career with 73 receptions, 523 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns. That obviously won't be enough to make the Hall of Fame, but a fine career for the former fifth round pick.
The Atlanta Falcons acquired tight end Lee Smith from the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday in exchange for a 2022 late-round draft pick, according to a league source. Smith, 33, made four catches for 35 yards and two touchdowns last season for Buffalo. He was a fifth-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2011 out of Marshall. Smith spent the first four years of his career with the Bills before joining the Raiders for four years. He returned to Buffalo in 2019 and also spent the 2020 season with them. Smith has mainly been used as a blocking tight end in his time in the NFL and should be expected to be the No. 2 tight end behind Hayden Hurst in Atlanta. Fantasy managers can ignore Smith everywhere.
Lee Smith: Top Healthy Tight End On Bills Depth Chart
Veteran Buffalo Bills tight end Lee Smith is currently listed as the second tight end on the team's depth chart, behind the injured Tyler Kroft (foot). Rookie Dawson Knox is listed third, followed by fellow rookie Tommy Sweeney and Jason Croom. Knox and Croom have also been sidelined for much of the offseason with hamstring injuries, leaving Smith and Sweeney as the two most active tight ends on the team. The 31-year-old Smith is primarily a blocking tight end, with only 56 career receptions over 107 games and shouldn't be targeted in fantasy drafts.
Free-agent tight end Lee Smith plans to visit with the Buffalo Bills, according to a source. The 31-year-old was released by the Raiders after spending four years with them. He played in Buffalo from 2011-14 and has caught only 56 passes for 392 yards and seven touchdowns in his eight seasons in the NFL. Smith is viewed as one of the best blocking tight ends in the league, so he won't have any fantasy value no matter where he lands in free agency.
Clive Walford to See Increased Role After Injury to Lee Smith
Clive Walford left the Raiders' Week 4 win in Baltimore late in the 4th quarter with a leg injury, finishing early with a statline of only two catches for 23 yards, but should be ready to go for next week having sustained no major damage. The Raiders are going to need Walford to step up in the coming weeks as it appears starting blocking TE Lee Smith is most likely headed to IR with a broken lower leg. This means Walford will be the Raiders' feature TE, as fellow TE Mychal Rivera can't block well and is only serviceable as a pass catcher, which should lead to a boost in fantasy production. If you're weak at TE or in need of a sleeper, Walford is certainly someone to jump on as a TE2 with TE1 upside going forward.
