HEADLINES

Wade Smith

Wade Smith Announces Retirement

April 13th, 2015 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NFL offensive lineman Wade Smith announced today that he has decided to end his playing career. Smith, who last spent time with the Eagles in 2014, wrote that he “wouldn’t change a thing” about his 12 years in the NFL (Instagram link).

“I’m moving on to my next stage in life, with a smile on my face, knowing that I gave everything I had to the game, and to the guys in the huddle that counted one me,” Smith wrote. “The NFL is a brotherhood that is second to none and I’m honored to be able to say that I am part of the family.”

A third-round pick by the Dolphins in 2003, Smith played just 22 games in Miami before moving on to spend time with the Jets, Chiefs, Texans, and Eagles over the course of the next decade. The veteran lineman, who turns 34 later this month, had his best run as Houston’s starting left guard from 2010 to 2013, playing all 64 regular season contests for the Texans during that stretch and earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2012.

For his career, Smith – who wasn’t currently under contract with an NFL team – played in 143 games, starting 98 of them.

Eagles Re-Sign Vandervelde, Cut Wade Smith

October 14th, 2014 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles have re-signed center Julian Vandervelde, releasing veteran offensive lineman Wade Smith to make room on the 53-man roster, the team announced today (Twitter link). It had been expected for some time that Philadelphia would attempt to bring back Vandervelde when the team was permitted to re-sign him.

Vandervelde, 27, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2011. After playing his college ball at Iowa, he was active for 16 games over three seasons with the Birds; he rarely played, however, as he saw just nine offensive snaps in 2013. Expected to make the squad again in 2014, Vandervelde suffered a back injury and was waived with an injury settlement in late August as Philadelphia trimmed its roster to 75 players.

Players cut with injury settlements aren’t allowed to return to their former teams until six weeks have passed, plus the length of the settlement. Vandervelde has been a free agent for exactly seven weeks, which suggests that his original settlement with the Eagles was only for one week.

Smith, meanwhile, was signed as insurance after the Eagles’ sustained several early-season injuries to their offensive line, but he didn’t see the field much, playing just 18 offensive snaps in Week 3 against Washington. As a vested veteran, Smith won’t have to pass through waivers, and is immediately free to sign with any team.

Eagles Sign Wade Smith

September 10th, 2014 at 7:59am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 7:59am: In addition to confirming the signing of Smith, the Eagles also announced that offensive lineman Kevin Graf and linebacker Emmanuel Acho have been promoted to the 53-man roster from the practice squad (Twitter links). Evan Mathis, Allen Barbre, and Najee Goode head to injured reserve to make room on the roster, with Mathis designated to return.

TUESDAY, 3:16pm: The Eagles have begun attempting to repair an offensive line that has been decimated in the early going by injuries and a suspension. According to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (via Twitter), the team has agreed to terms with veteran guard Wade Smith, who was recently cut by the Seahawks.

Smith, 33, was among the players who visited the Eagles today, along with tackle Eric Winston, who left Philadelphia without a deal. Smith has appeared in 138 games over the course of his 11-year NFL career for the Dolphins, Jets, Chiefs, and Texans, starting 98 of those contests. Most recently, he spent several seasons in Houston as the club’s full-time left guard, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2012.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Smith earn some playing time right away with the Eagles, who were already without the suspended Lane Johnson for four weeks coming into the season and have since seen Evan Mathis and Allen Barbre go down with potentially significant injuries.

The Eagles will have to make a corresponding roster move before the signing of Smith can become official. With reports this afternoon suggesting that Barbre’s ankle injury could be season-ending, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the club places him on the injured reserve list.

Eagles Rumors: Barbre, Winston, Smith

September 9th, 2014 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

After a slow start against the Jaguars on Sunday, the Eagles eventually fought back with 34 unanswered points for a comfortable 34-17 win over Jacksonville, but Philadelphia paid a steep price for the win. Two offensive linemen, Evan Mathis and Allen Barbre, left the game with injuries, and are expected to miss significant time. Here’s the latest on one of those two injured linemen, along with more out of Philadelphia:

  • Barbre is expected to undergo surgery on his injured ankle that could end his 2014 season, a league source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). Barbre, who signed a contract extension with the Eagles this summer, was expected to step in to replace the suspended Lane Johnson for September, but now Philadelphia will have to find another replacement at that spot for the next three weeks.
  • With holes to fill on that offensive line, the Eagles are taking a look at veteran tackle Eric Winston and guard Wade Smith, who are visiting the team today, tweets Caplan. According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter), Winston has already left Philadelphia without a deal, though that doesn’t necessarily preclude an agreement at a later date.
  • In addition to kicking the tires on some offensive linemen, the Eagles are also expected to host some linebackers for tryouts, says Caplan (via Twitter). According to the ESPN.com scribe (via Twitter), inside linebacker Najee Goode sustained a pectoral injury during Sunday’s game.

Seahawks Cut Terrell Thomas, Seven Others

August 25th, 2014 at 11:54am CST by Rob DiRe

MONDAY, 11:54am: The Seahawks have cut six more players, per Brian McIntyre (Twitter link):

SUNDAY, 7:27PM: The Seahawks have cut cornerback Terrell Thomas, on their way to trimming the roster to 75 players by Tuesday, reports Tom Pellissero of USA Today (via Twitter). They also waived defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat.

Thomas was signed earlier this offseason to provide depth in the secondary. The former Giant was a second-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Thomas is also a former Trojan, playing for Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll at USC. He suffered a torn ACL in both the 2011 and 2012 preseasons, forcing him to miss both campaigns.

The injuries proved to be too much, as the Giants elected not to retain his services. Reuniting with Carroll could have rejuvenated his career, but he joined one of the youngest and deepest secondaries in the NFL in Seattle.

Seahawks Sign Wade Smith

August 5th, 2014 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 3:37pm: Smith’s one-year contract with the Seahawks is a minimum salary benefit contract with a $60K bonus, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.

MONDAY, 1:35pm: The Seahawks have reached an agreement to sign veteran offensive lineman Wade Smith, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Smith will become the second established lineman signed by Seattle within the last week, after the team also brought aboard tackle Eric Winston.

Smith, 33, has appeared in 138 games over the course of his 11-year NFL career for the Dolphins, Jets, Chiefs, and Texans, starting 98 of those contests. Most recently, he spent several seasons in Houston as the club’s full-time left guard, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2012. Despite having started every game for the Texans for the last four seasons, Smith seemingly didn’t draw a ton of interest this offseason, with only one report linking him to the Dolphins early in free agency. Smith figures to compete for a roster spot and playing time in camp with the Seahawks.

In addition to locking up Smith, the Seahawks also made a handful of other roster moves, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). The club re-signed defensive tackle Andru Pulu, waiving wide receiver Ronald Johnson and linebacker Brandon Denmark to clear space on the roster for the new additions.

Dolphins Rumors: Strief, Smith, Brown

March 13th, 2014 at 3:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest out of Miami, courtesy of the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson..

  • Zach Strief, 30, remains by far the best unsigned right tackle, and the Dolphins want to set up a visit with him. Trouble is, he was committed to a banquet in Cincinnati and was unable to take any visits when Miami reached out to him. The Dolphins tried him again this afternoon and a decision is pending.
  • Guard Shelley Smith is visiting with the Dolphins tonight after visiting with the Patriots this afternoon and his camp is hopeful there will be an offer from Miami. The 30-year-old has started just eight games over the past two seasons. Meanwhile, Miami has called to express some level of interest in several other guards, including Daryn Colledge and Wade Smith and center/guard Evan Dietrich-Smith. Davin Joseph remains a possibility as well.
  • Miami has expressed interest in cornerbacks Tarell Brown and Walter Thurmond.