The Kansas City Chiefs signed tight end Irv Smith Jr., 25, on Thursday, thereby bolstering their offensive.
Five facts should be known regarding the most recent addition to the offense.
Last season, Smith was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals’ roster.
In 12 games for Cincinnati in 2023, the 6-foot-2, 240-pound Smith caught 18 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown. During that period, he participated in 330 offensive plays, which ranked him second among all tight ends on the Bengals roster.
In Week 9, he scored an athletic 7-yard touchdown against the Bills.
2. Prior to joining the Bengals, Smith was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
At No. 50 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Vikings selected Smith, positioning him as the third tight end to be selected that year. Over the subsequent four seasons, he caught 91 passes for 858 yards and nine touchdowns in 37 games (15 starts), including a 29-game span from 2019 to 2020 during which he accumulated 66 receptions for 676 yards and seven scores.
However, Smith’s season was cut short prior to the 2021 campaign due to a knee injury. The following year, he appeared in eight games, and in 2023, he was in uniform for twelve competitions.
3. His most successful season as a professional occurred in 2020.
Smith completed a solid professional sophomore campaign in 2020, hauling in 30 receptions for 365 yards and five touchdowns. Four of his thirteen contests that season featured him receiving at least 50 yards, with all five of his touchdown catches occurring in the red zone.
His anticipated breakthrough season the following year was cut short by the knee injury mentioned earlier, which occurred in the preseason of 2021. As a result, his third professional season commenced prematurely and was prematurely terminated. Smith, who is still only 25 years old and has been free from that injury for over two years, will have the chance to resume where he left off in 2020.
4. His experience queuing up in-line and out-of-slot is substantial.
Although Smith has spent the majority of his career in the starting lineup as a traditional, in-line tight end, he also possesses considerable experience as a receiver operating out of the slot position. Smith recorded 177 snaps as an in-line tight end, 91 snaps from the slot, and 57 snaps spread wide during the previous season. In 2020, during his most productive statistical season, Smith was positioned in-line for 387 snaps and out-of-position for 102 snaps.
In his 330 offensive possessions during the previous season, Smith completed 237 passes, irrespective of his position. He accumulated 87 run-blocking snaps and six pass-blocking snaps during which he did not run a route.
Smith, who has experience shifting around, provides another versatile member of the tight end room for head coach Andy Reid.
5. Smith was a collegiate football player for Alabama University.
Before transferring to the Vikings, Smith was a junior for the Crimson Tide and was named to the Second-Team All-SEC. During that season, he caught 44 receptions for 710 yards and seven touchdowns. After the season, he was widely regarded as one of the most promising tight ends available in the 2019 NFL Draft, which prompted NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein to write the following:
Smith’s lack of expertise is evident in his performance at run-blocking and route-running; however, he possesses considerable aptitude and is expected to significantly improve in these domains. While he exhibits versatility as a tight end, he truly shines as a move blocker at fullback or wingback. He distinguishes himself as a large, field-extending option once he gains momentum following the reception due to his buildup speed. Although O.J. Howard was larger and a more accomplished athlete, Smith, too, presents himself as a versatile tight end prospect with Pro Bowl potential.
Prior to his injury in 2021, Smith demonstrated his prowess in his first two NFL seasons. Now that he is in good health, he will attempt to reclaim that success as a member of the defending world champions.