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Will Smith (DE)

Former Saints DE Will Smith Killed Saturday Night

April 10th, 2016 at 8:17am CST by Rory Parks

Former Saints defensive end Will Smith was shot and killed in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans late Saturday night, according to Wilborn P. Nobles III of The Times-Picayune. More details were provided by CBSNews.com, which reported that Smith’s Mercedes SUV was rear-ended by a Hummer H2, and the impact caused Smith’s SUV to rear-end the vehicle in front of him, driven by one of Smith’s friends.

At approximately 11:30pm, Smith exited his vehicle and began arguing with the driver of the Hummer, who has not yet been identified but who is reportedly 30 years old. The driver allegedly “unloaded a fusillade of bullets” at Smith and his vehicle–a witness said she heard six to eight gunshots–and Smith was ultimately found slumped over the steering wheel of his vehicle, which appeared to have a bullet hole in the windshield.

Aug 16, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Will Smith (91) against the Oakland Raiders during the second quarter of a preseason game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. Smith’s wife was shot in the leg multiple times, but is expected to survive. The driver of the Hummer and another person have been apprehended and are being questioned, and the gun used in the shooting has been recovered.

The Smith family has issued the following statement (Twitter link via Evan Woodberry of The Times-Picayune):

“On behalf of the Smith family, we are thankful for the outpouring of support and prayers. We ask that you continue to respect the family’s privacy as they grieve the loss of a devoted husband, father, and friend.”

Smith was a highly productive player for the Saints after being selected by the club in the first round of the 2004 draft. The Ohio State product, who also excelled at the collegiate level, posted 67.5 career sacks, including double-digit sack totals in 2006–when he earned his first and only Pro Bowl nod–and 2009. He was also an integral part of the Saints’ Super Bowl run in 2009. He did sign on with the Patriots prior to the 2014 campaign, but he was released by New England before the regular season began.

We at PFR offer our thoughts and condolences to Smith’s family and friends.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

 

Ravens Links: Reed, Reid, Smith, Hill, Forsett

November 8th, 2014 at 8:57pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Ravens have had incredible struggles in the secondary, and that group only got worse as Jimmy Smith was officially moved to the IR. With their rival Steelers bringing legends James Harrison and Brett Keisel back into the fold to sure up their defense, Ravens fans have been left wondering if Ed Reed could be an option for a unit that could use some help.

There is no chance the team brings Reed back in any capacity other than on a one day contract to retire as a Raven, writes Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. He writes that Reed showed nothing on the field last year, either with the Texans or the Jets, and that he would no longer inspire fear roaming center field at free safety.

He adds that bringing him back as a coach or a motivator would be a bad idea, as Reed had become a headache for the team towards the end of his tenure in Baltimore.

Here are some other links from around the Ravens’ organization:

  • In his mailbag, Hensley also addresses how the recent purge in the secondary will shape up for the team, how linebacker Arthur Brown is progressing within the defense, and the positions of interest the team should focus on in free agency and the 2015 NFL Draft.
  • Offensive tackle Jah Reid underwent surgery on his broken hand, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Whether or not Reid will return at some point this season has not been decided as of yet.
  • With Jimmy Smith done for the season, there are questions as to whether the Ravens will be able to stop any legitimate quarterbacks the rest of the season. Brett Foote of EbonyBird.com examines what the team can do to survive the season so thin in the defensive backfield.
  • The team only has five interceptions on the season, and Smith is the only member of the secondary contributing to that figure. However, the team believes it could have the answer to improve that, and expects safety Will Hill to be the team’s top ballhawk now that is returning to the field, writes Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com.
  • Justin Forsett was cut by the Jaguars in March, but got the opportunity to compete for carries with the Ravens this offseason, with the added bonus of knowing incumbent starter Ray Rice would have to miss two games with a suspension. However, with Rice‘s eventual release from the team gave Forsett the best opportunity of his career, according to offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, as reported by the Associated Press on SFGate.com. “This is probably his biggest opportunity as a player,” Kubiak said. “And he’s really taking advantage of it.”
  • The entire Ravens’ backfield should get credit for the improved running game, write Bryan Stauffer of NumberFire.com. Bernard Pierce, Justin Forsett, and Lorenzo Taliaferro are piecing together a formidable unit that has been more productive than last year’s combination of Pierce and Rice.

AFC East Notes: Patterson, Bills, Pats

August 25th, 2014 at 4:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s look at the latest from the AFC East:

  • Dimitri Patterson‘s decision to skip the Jets’ Friday night preseason game was fueled by his displeasure at his place on the cornerback depth chart, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. New York suspended Patterson indefinitely this afternoon.
  • Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today (Twitter link), former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly said he didn’t care which bidder ultimately purchases the franchise, as long as they intend to keep the team in Buffalo. Kelly reportedly turned down an opportunity to join Jon Bon Jovi’s Toronto group in a bid for the Bills.
  • Jimmy Garoppolo will start at quarterback for the Patriots in Thursday’s preseason finale, but according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter) New England still hasn’t decided whether he or Ryan Mallett will be the No. 2 quarterback when the regular season arrives.
  • With Mallett reportedly on the trade block, Tom Carpenter of ESPN Insider (subscription required) takes a look at some possible destinations for the Patriots backup QB.
  • With regards to dealing Mallett, however, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) that the Patriots won’t trade him until they are certain Garoppolo is ready to flourish as Tom Brady‘s primary backup.
  • Rapoport has more on the Patriots, tweeting that Tommy Kelly and/or Will Smith, both of whom were released yesterday, could re-sign with New England after Week 1, at which point neither’s salary would be guaranteed. Rapoport passed along this thought before news of Kelly’s visit with the Cardinals broke.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Pats Release Will Smith And Tommy Kelly

August 25th, 2014 at 12:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

MONDAY, 12:37pm: In addition confirming the releases below, the Patriots have announced the release of TE Justin Jones via press release.

SUNDAY, 4:53PM: As other NFL teams part ways with a slew of young, inexperienced players as Tuesday’s 3pm cutdown date approaches, the Patriots have taken a different tack, releasing veteran defensive lineman Will Smith and Tommy Kelly, reports Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Per Schefter, New England has also cut linebacker James Anderson.

The Pats added Smith, 32, on a one-year deal ($65K bonus) in May, after the veteran had spent his entire 10-year career with the Saints. I noted at the time of his signing that landing in New England’s versatile defensive scheme might be an ideal landing spot for Smith, who had noted he was open to playing in either a 3-4 or 4-3 front. However, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets that Smith was not fitting in as a 3-4 defensive end, noting that he hadn’t received the opportunity to rush from the edge.

Kelly, 33, joined the Patriots on a two-year deal prior to last season after spending the prior nine years in Oakland. He tore his ACL in Week 8, and spent the remainder of the season on IR. Kelly restructured his contract in March, turning some of his base salary into incentive-based and roster bonus pay, so his release doesn’t come as a total surprise. In fact, back in July, Reiss had predicted the Pats would eventually cut Kelly.

Anderson, 30, started 16 games for the Bears last season, but remained on the free agent market until New England signed him in June. Anderson had been working mostly as a coverage linebacker — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as the sixth-best 4-3 OLB in terms of pass coverage last season. As Reiss writes (Twitter link), the Pats were probably looking for more special teams ability out of their reserve linebacker position.

According to Brian McIntyre (Twitter links), the Patriots will save $3.565MM in cash this season by releasing the three players. Smith and Anderson were each due a $50K bonus if they were on New England’s Week 1 roster, while Kelly was entitled to $800K in per game active roster bonuses.

Patriots, Will Smith Agree To Terms

May 6th, 2014 at 10:12am CST by Dallas Robinson

TUESDAY, 10:12am: Smith’s one-year deal with the Patriots has a base salary of $855K, and bonuses of up to $65K, which means it qualifies as a minimum salary benefit contract, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

MONDAY, 1:37pm: The Patriots have agreed to sign veteran defensive lineman Will Smith, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter). Terms have not yet been released.

Smith, 32, was a first-round pick of the Saints in 2004 out of Ohio State, and had spent his entire career in New Orleans until being released just before the start of free agency. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL during the preseason. In 2012, Smith played in all 16 games and garnered six sacks, but graded out as the second-worst 4-3 defensive end in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Smith, who has been linked to the Pats for several months, had stated he would be open to either a 4-3 or a 3-4 defense. New England, then, rates as an excellent landing spot for the pass-rusher, as the Patriots often play a mix of both schemes. While he has no experience as an 3-4 OLB, he did spend the 2013 offseason preparing to be an outside linebacker in Rob Ryan’s defense before tearing his ACL, so perhaps that knowledge will come in handy. In New England, he adds experience to a front seven that contains a lot of youth in Jamie Collins, Chandler Jones, and Jake Bequette.

Extra Points: Landry, Thompson, Texans

April 13th, 2014 at 10:57am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s have a look at some notes from around the league on this relatively slow news day:

  • Greg Gabriel of the National Football Post takes a look at some of the most significant pro day workouts from this past week. LSU and Penn State were the major programs to host pro days, but smaller schools McNeese State and Bloomsburg also boast several draftable prospects.
  • LSU WR Jarvis Landry will be an intriguing player to watch at next month’s draft. He carried a first-round grade into the combine, but performed poorly there, and though he showed improvement at his pro day this week, it won’t be enough to get him back in the first round. Gabriel expects him to be taken in the third or fourth round, but does note that Landry’s game tape is phenomenal and there are plenty of other top-flight receivers who have had mediocre workout numbers.
  • BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy has had a number of official visits already, and he recently met with the Ravens, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Van Noy has received first- and second-round grades from draft analysts.
  • In a separate piece, Wilson writes that the felony and misdemeanor drug charges that Ravens WR Deonte Thompson was facing have been dropped by Florida prosecutors. Thompson may be crowded out of the Ravens roster this year, as the team added to its receiving corps this offseason and expects to add at least one more receiver in the draft, but at least he no longer has legal troubles hanging over his head.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, noting that the Patriots have a penchant for drafting highly-talented players whose stock has taken a hit for medical reasons, wonders if Clemson guard Brandon Thomas, who carried a second-round grade before tearing his ACL in a pre-draft workout last week, might be a target in the middle to late rounds of this year’s draft.
  • The Patriots are still in the mix for free agent OLB/DE Will Smith, according to Christopher Price of WEEI.com.
  • John McClain of the Houston Chronicle gives an excellent description of the dilemma the Texans, picking first overall for the third time in their young history, face in the 2014 draft.

AFC Notes: Chiefs, Patriots, Bills, Blount

April 1st, 2014 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today, Danieal Manning said signing with the Cowboys “would be fun,” since he grew up rooting for them. However, the free agent safety added that a team’s direction and opportunity to win will be determining factors in his decision on where to sign (Twitter links). That’s not to say that Dallas should be ruled out as a suitor, but it makes sense that Manning’s first two visits are to a pair of AFC playoff teams. Last night, we heard about his scheduled meeting with the Bengals, and today during his SiriusXM appearance, he confirmed that a visit to the Chiefs is also on tap (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the AFC as the league’s free agent period enters its fourth week:

  • Mike Reiss (Twitter link) passes along word from ESPN.com colleague John Clayton that free agent defensive end Will Smith is visiting the Patriots today. Smith, who was cut by the Saints earlier this offseason, indicated shortly after his release that he’d be open to playing in a 4-3 or 3-4 defense.
  • Speaking to WBEN in Buffalo, billionaire Donald Trump confirmed that he has been approached about the possibility of joining an investment group in a bid to buy the Bills. Suggesting that he’ll “take a look” at the possibility, Trump stressed that he wants to see the franchise remain in Buffalo, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details.
  • LeGarrette Blount’s new two-year deal with the Steelers includes a $150K incentive for reaching 800 yards rushing in 2014, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Panthers Tops In “Dead Money”

February 18th, 2014 at 8:36pm CST by Matt Feminis

Thanks in large part to last season’s trade of Jon Beason, the Panthers have $17.8MM in “dead money,” more than any team in the league, according to ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (full chart here). “Dead money” is defined as cap space consumed by players no longer on the roster, whether they retired, were released or traded. The numbers will fluctuate as rosters continue to evolve, but listed below are the five teams with at least $10MM worth of “dead money” at present time, including the players accounting for most of the sunk costs:

At the other end of the spectrum, six teams have less than $1MM in “dead money”: Jets, Rams, Buccaneers, Colts, Seahawks and Bengals.

Reiss On Patriots: McDaniels, Lombardi, Smith

February 16th, 2014 at 1:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ hesitation regarding the Browns head coaching vacancy was related to his desire not to become the next Eric Mangini. Mangini, also once a Patriots assistant, took head coaching jobs with both the Jets and the Browns. After uninspiring results at each stop, he is now 43 years old and might struggle to get another opportunity. McDaniels might look to take a more cautious, forward-thinking approach, aiming for the perfect fit rather than jumping at the first opportunity presented.

More Patriots notes from Reiss:

  • The notion that McDaniels actually did want the Browns job all along doesn’t seem to make sense, according to Reiss. Given the Browns perceived desperation regarding their coaching search, it seems unlikely they wouldn’t have tried to lock down McDaniels if there was any chance to do so.
  • Speaking of the Browns, if former Cleveland GM Mike Lombardi does end up joining the Patriots front office, it will likely be in a consultant-type role, similar to that previously held by Floyd Reese in New England.
  • Even if the Patriots get any more cap room based on the Aaron Hernandez contract situation, it is unlikely to be resolved quickly enough to affect this offseason’s spending.
  • Reiss elaborates on his earlier contention that the recently released Will Smith could be an option for the Patriots.

Will Smith Open To 4-3 Or 3-4 Defense

February 16th, 2014 at 12:49pm CST by Rory Parks

Although Will Smith, one of the Saints’ most recent salary cap casualties, would prefer to return to his natural position as a defensive end in a 4-3 front, he remains open to serving as a 3-4 outside linebacker as well, according to NFL.com’s Kevin Petra. Of course, Smith expected to move to outside linebacker last season after Rob Ryan was hired as the Saints defensive coordinator, but a torn ACL ended his season before it ever really began. Smith said:

“I think I’m at heart a 4-3 defensive end. That’s something I would like to play. But if I go to a team that requires me to play outside linebacker, I’m cool with that too.”

As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes, Smith is wise to keep his options open. Just last season, Dwight Freeney expressed a desire to return to his natural position of 4-3 defensive end, but when Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram tore his ACL, a different opportunity opened up for Freeney.

Smith’s track record as a pass-rusher is likely to appeal to a number of teams, particularly if those teams believe he would be open to whichever defensive scheme they utilize. His age (he will be 33 when the season begins) will keep his cost down, and as players like Freeney, John Abraham, and James Harrison proved last season, there is a market for an older player that can still get after the quarterback. Furthermore, since Smith was cut and was not an unrestricted free agent, he would not count against the compensatory pick formula, making him even more attractive to teams that keep an especially close eye on their compensatory selections.

As Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes, Smith is an eminently viable option for the Patriots. However, he will likely have a number of suitors to choose from as the offseason progresses.

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