By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills have signed tight end Lee Smith to a 3-year deal, the team announced on Monday.
Smith, 31, was a fifth-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2011 out of Marshall. However, Smith never played with the Patriots as he was one of the team’s final roster cuts and he was scooped up by the Bills.
Smith then spent 2011 to 2014 in Buffalo before going to the Oakland Raiders as a free agent in 2015 until last season. He was released on May 2.
In 107 career NFL games, Smith has 66 starts. In his career he’s only racked up 56 catches for 392 yards and seven scores, though. Smith is known much more as a blocking tight end rather than a playmaking one. Of his seven touchdowns, three came just last season, though.
In Smith, the Bills have a packed and fresh house in their tight end room. After releasing Charles Clay this offseason, Buffalo signed former Bengal Tyler Kroft, who’s still the presumed No. 1 tight end on the roster. Former Bengal Jake Fisher also followed suit and signed with the Bills as well.
In addition, the Bills drafted not one but two tight ends at the 2019 NFL draft in Dawson Knox (3rd round) and Tommy Sweeney (7th). Another rookie, Moral Stephens from Florida, also reportedly signed with the Bills this weekend after he had a rookie tryout with the team at their 2019 rookie mini camp.
And let’s not forget Jason Croom as well, the lone returner to the roster from last season.