(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
It is the time of the year when NFL teams look to fill out depth and add key players – even if those players are likely to contribute primarily on special teams.
The Denver Broncos made such a move on Thursday, looking to shore up the linebacking corps and add a solid special teams performer.
Jordan Schultz reported that, according to a source, the Broncos are signing former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Andre Smith.
The defender appeared in 11 games with the Birds last season, registering 19 tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Former #Falcons LB Andre Smith is signing with the #Broncos, per source.
Smith appeared in 11 games last season with Atlanta, totaling 19 tackles, 1 FF and 1 FR. pic.twitter.com/65X0inbllV
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 13, 2024
Smith is with his fifth franchise in seven NFL seasons, having previously suited up for Carolina after being the team’s seventh-round pick in 2018, then with Buffalo, Tennessee, and Atlanta.
The defender tried out with the team for two days this week during minicamp and earned his way onto the field as a post-camp addition.
He has started once in his 62-game NFL career.
Smith joins a Broncos squad that has been remolded into head coach Sean Peyton’s image, and many of the holdovers from previous and unsuccessful regimes have departed.
Empower Field at Mile High will be a much happier place this fall if the Denver defense can improve from its substandard performances over the past several years.
Of course, any improvement is sorely limited until a quarterback steps up and takes charge of the franchise, and whether that is rookie Bo Nix or a veteran is anybody’s guess at this point.
Smith is certainly not the answer, but he could be a cog in the machine as the team adds depth and experience.
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