Joseph "Lee" Smith (born November 21, 1987) is a former
American football tight end who played in the
National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
,
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
,
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
and
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Marshall University, and was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
. In late January 2022 he announced he would retire from the NFL.
College career
Smith originally committed and enrolled at the
University of Tennessee, where his father Daryle played. However, after being charged with DUI on campus, he was immediately dismissed by head coach
Phillip Fulmer
Phillip Edward Fulmer Sr. (born September 1, 1950) is a former American football player, coach, and athletic director at the University of Tennessee. He served as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1992 to 2008, compiling ...
. Smith would then enroll at
Marshall University.
Smith shared playing time with tight end,
Cody Slate
Cody Alan Slate (born August 14, 1987) is a former American football tight end. He previously played for the Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football at Marshall University. He attended Hargrave Military Academy. Slate was considered one o ...
, throughout most of his first three seasons at Marshall. As a full-time starter in 2010, Smith finished the year with career highs in receiving yards, receptions, and touchdowns. He also was named to the
Conference USA
Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...
All-Academic team and invited to the
Senior Bowl.
Professional career
On January 21, 2011, it was announced that Smith had been invited to the
2011 Senior Bowl
The 2011 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2010 college football season, and prospects for the 2011 Draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The 62nd edition of the Senior Bo ...
. Although he was a late invitee, Smith accepted his invitation a week later. He was a part of the
Cincinnati Bengals' head coach
Marvin Lewis' North team that lost to the South 24–10. Smith was one of 16 tight ends who received an invitation to perform at the
NFL Combine. He performed all of the required positional and combine drills and tied
Wisconsin's Lance Kendricks for second among tight ends in the bench press. Smith also finished last of the 16 tight ends in the
40-yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...
. On March 17, 2011, Smith opted to participate at Marshall's pro day, along with
Martez Wilson,
Mario Harvey
Mario Nigel Harvey (born August 10, 1987) is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jet ...
, and five others. He chose to run his 40-yard dash (4.99), 20-yard dash (2.89), 10-yard dash (1.72), and positional drills for the team representatives and scouts from ten NFL teams. Smith was projected to be a sixth or seventh round by the majority of NFL draft experts and analysts. He was ranked as the tenth best tight end prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
New England Patriots
The
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
selected Smith in the fifth round with the 159th overall pick in the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
. He was the eighth tight end selected in 2011. Smith entered his first training camp facing stiff competition for a roster spot. He competed with
Alge Crumpler,
Rob Gronkowski,
Aaron Hernandez, and Carson Butler. On September 3, 2011, the Patriots released Smith as a part of their final roster cuts.
Buffalo Bills
On September 4, 2011, Smith was claimed off waivers by the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
to provide depth at their thin tight end position.
2011
Upon arriving, he was the Bills' third tight end on their depth chart behind
Scott Chandler and
Mike Caussin
Michael Caussin (born February 26, 1987) is a former American football tight end. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at James Madison University, James Madison.
He also played ...
. On October 2, 2011, Smith made his professional regular season debut in the Bills' 23–20 loss at the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. He became the backup tight end after Mike Caussin suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured/reserve on November 7, 2011. During a Week 12 matchup at the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
, Smith made his first career start as the Bills lost 28–24. On December 4, 2011, he caught a season-high three passes for 11-yards during a 23–17 loss to the
Tennessee Titans. He entered the game after Scott Chandler injured his ankle and was unable to return. He finished his rookie season with four receptions for 11 yards in three starts and ten games.
2012
He competed with Scott Chandler, Mike Caussin,
Kevin Brock, and
Fendi Onobun
Fendi Onobun (born November 17, 1986) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Houston. He has also been a member of the Seattle Seaha ...
.
Oakland Raiders
On March 10, 2015, Smith signed a three-year contract with the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. He was placed on injured reserve on October 5, 2016.
On March 14, 2018, Smith re-signed with the Raiders.
On May 2, 2019, Smith was released by the Raiders.
Buffalo Bills (second stint)
On May 13, 2019, Smith signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Buffalo Bills.
Smith was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 list by the Bills on October 24, 2020, and activated on October 30. In Week 16 of the 2020 season, against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, Smith caught a four-yard touchdown pass from
Josh Allen.
Atlanta Falcons
On March 17, 2021, Smith was traded to the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
for a 2022 seventh-round pick.
On January 25, 2022, Smith announced his retirement.
Post-playing career
Following his retirement, Smith announced that he would be opening Triple F Training facility in
Knoxville, Tennessee, an elite training center for young athletes, where he hopes to mentor young men facing turbulent home environments like the one he grew up in.
Personal life
Smith is the son of former
Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
Daryle Smith. Smith resides in
Knoxville, Tennessee with his wife, Alisha, and four children, Brody, Amanda, Brock and Addison.
References
External links
Atlanta Falcons bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Lee
1987 births
Living people
American football tight ends
Atlanta Falcons players
Buffalo Bills players
Marshall Thundering Herd football players
New England Patriots players
Oakland Raiders players
Players of American football from Tennessee
Sportspeople from Knox County, Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football players