The Raiders have signed fullback Sutton Smith to a new two-year deal about two weeks after adding him to the practice squad. The news was announced by Smith’s sports agency on Twitter.

After being drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Steelers as a pass rusher, Smith failed to make the 53-man roster to start the season. Smith joined the Jaguars practice squad in October of that season, but was released a week later. He had two more short stints on Pittsburgh’s practice squad in November before spending the rest of his rookie season on the Seahawks’ practice squad. Seattle signed Smith to a reserve/future contract at the end of the 2019 season, but waived him in the offseason.

After failing to catch on with any teams in the 2020 season, Smith abandoned the position that earned him second-team All-American honors at Northern Illinois, signing with the Saints in the 2021 offseason as a fullback. Once again, Smith fell victim to roster cuts as the Saints trimmed their active roster down to 53.

The Raiders signed Smith to their practice squad after starting fullback Alec Ingold suffered a torn ACL in a Week 10 loss to the Chiefs. Vegas activated Smith to the active roster to appear in his first NFL game against the Bengals the next week. Through two games, Smith has spent most of his time on the field as a special teamer, but does have 6 snaps on the offensive side of the ball. Vegas’s contract offer shows faith in his abilities to fill in as Ingold embarks on the long-term recovery from his knee injury with the added bonus of a sure-tackling special teamer with defensive experience.