Houston signed Smith to its practice squad Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Smith played in 12 games with Cincinnati in 2023, but he wasn't able to stick on a 53-man roster ahead of the 2024 season. Now he'll likely get a chance to make an impression with the Texans, especially with Dalton Schultz dealing with an ankle injury and both Brevin Jordan (knee) and Dalton Keene (knee) on injured reserve.
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Irv Smith: Released by Kansas City
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Kansas City released Smith on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The 2019 second-round pick was a healthy scratch for the Bengals by the end of last season and now finds himself unable to earn a spot on Kansas City's initial 53-man roster. Smith is only 26 years old but may struggle to stick around the league as anything more than a practice squad player.
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Chiefs' Irv Smith: Impressing at camp
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Smith has worked with Kansas City's first-team offense during camp and has been a pleasant surprise for the coaching staff, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.
Smith disappointed in 2023, as he wasn't able to take hold of the top spot on Cincinnati's depth chart at tight end and finished with just 18 catches for 115 yards and one touchdown across 12 games. He seems to be making a good first impression in Kansas City, as he's proving to be a reliable target in practices on the occasions he's filled in for Travis Kelce on the first-team offense. He's got a real chance to make the Chiefs' 53-man roster and is likely competing with Noah Gray and Jared Wiley for a depth role in the team's tight end room.
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Chiefs' Irv Smith: Joining Super Bowl champs
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Smith is in line to sign a one-year deal with Kansas City, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Smith was limited to 18 catches on 26 targets for 115 yards and one TD over 12 regular-season games with the Bengals last season, but the 2019 second-rounder does have some bounce-back potential as a pass-catcher. As long as top tight end Travis Kelce is healthy though, Smith doesn't have a path to steady target volume with Kansas City.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Healthy scratch again
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Smith (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Browns.
Smith's first season in Cincinnati has come to a close, and he was able to catch 18 of his 26 targets for 115 yards and one touchdown across 12 games. The Bengals are expected to roll with Tanner Hudson, Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox as their three tight ends in Week 18.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Two catches against former team
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Smith recorded two catches for 18 yards on three targets in Saturday's 27-24 overtime win over the Vikings.
Playing against his former team for the first time, Smith came through with his sixth multi-catch outing of the season, though his overall stat line offered little reason for excitement. Smith saw fewer snaps (17) than both Drew Sample (40) and Tanner Hudson (25), while Mitchell Wilcox (17) tied him. Hudson remains the most interesting tight end of the group for fantasy purposes, but the Bengals' commitment to a four-headed timeshare at the position suppresses the upside of each player.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Not targeted in win
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Smith failed to draw a single target in Sunday's 34-14 win over the Colts.
Smith played just eight of the Bengals 60 offensive snaps Sunday, behind fellow tight ends Drew Sample (40), Mitchell Wilcox (22) and Tanner Hudson (14). The veteran's 12 percent snap share was his lowest of the season, and he was held without a target for the second straight week. Smith remains far off the fantasy radar as the Bengals are set to host the Vikings in Week 15.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Two grabs in loss
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Smith secured both of his targets for eight yards in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Steelers.
Smith played just 16 offensive snaps Sunday, his lowest total of the season. The veteran tight end finds himself splitting snaps with Tanner Hudson, Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox, so his opportunities to produce on offense are limited. Hudson appears to have emerged as the preferred pass catcher of the bunch, as he earned 21 targets over the past four games. Smith can safely be left out of fantasy lineups when the Bengals visit the Jaguars in Week 13.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Quiet in loss
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Smith secured his only target for six yards in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Texans.
Smith's underwhelming performance came on a day in which fellow tight end Tanner Hudson saw a season-high seven targets in the contest. The 25-year-old Smith has been a disappointment for much of the 2023 campaign, totaling just 14 receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown over seven games. In addition, the veteran is splitting tight end snaps relatively evenly with Hudson and Drew Sample. Smith should remain difficult to trust for fantasy purposes when the Bengals visit the Ravens on Thursday.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Loses fumble in win over Niners
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Smith had four catches for 25 yards in Sunday's over the Niners, but he lost a fumble just before halftime that cost the Bengals a chance to go up two scores.
It was thought before the season that Smith could provide a reasonable facsimile of what Hayden Hurst did for the Bengals, but so far he's come up short of that. The four catches and the 25 yards were season highs for Smith.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Not targeted in win
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Smith failed to draw a single target in Sunday's 34-20 win over the Cardinals.
Smith was a complete non-factor Sunday despite playing 61 percent of the Bengals' offensive snaps. The veteran tight end missed Weeks 3 and 4 due to a hamstring injury, and he wasn't a part of Cincinnati's game plan in his return while star wideout Ja'Marr Chase earned 19 targets in the contest. In the three games he's played this season, Smith has totaled just five catches for 27 yards.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Remains sidelined Thursday
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Smith (hamstring) didn't participate in Thursday's practice, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Smith was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, so the tight end's absence Thursday clouds his status for Sunday's game against the Titans. If Smith misses his second game in a row this weekend, Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox would once again be in line for added snaps as the Bengals' primary tight ends.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Listed as non-participant Wednesday
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Smith (hamstring) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Smith was inactive for the Bengals' Week 3 win over the Rams, and his listed non-participation to begin Week 4 prep clouds his status for Sunday's game against the Titans. If Smith remains out this weekend, Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox would once again absorb most of the snaps at tight end.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Inactive versus Rams
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Smith (hamstring) is inactive for Monday night's contest against the Rams.
Smith was listed as doubtful for the game after logging limited practices Friday and Saturday, and he'll sit this one out, which should result in Drew Sample leading the Bengals' Week 3 TE corps, with Mitchell Wilcox and Tanner Hudson also on hand. Smith will target a potential return to action Sunday against the Titans.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Limited with hamstring injury
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Smith (hamstring) was limited in Friday's practice, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Smith is a Friday addition to the injury report, which is rarely a good sign. He at least has an extra day to get ready, as the Bengals host the Rams Monday night. A 2019 second-round pick of the Vikings, Smith has five catches for 27 yards over his first two games with the Bengals. He's not a recommended fantasy starter.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Another meager outing
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Smith was held to two catches for 10 yards on four targets in Sunday's loss to the Ravens.
Smith came close to having a third catch but was eventually ruled to be out of bounds on what would have been a pretty nice third-down conversion in the first half. Smith doesn't have the volume to trust right now, and certainly Joe Burrow's setback with his calf injury raises even more concerns.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Paltry Bengals debut
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Smith had three catches for 17 yards on five targets in Sunday's loss to the Browns.
Smith dropped one ball on third down that, had he caught it, he might have converted into a first down. He also struggled with his blocking assignments, whiffing on the first play from scrimmage -- leading to the first of many occasions when Joe Burrow was under immediate pressure. The Bengals' passing game will have better days, but Smith could lose snaps to Drew Sample if he can't protect the team's $275 million quarterback.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: TEs to Sit
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I'm hopeful that Smith will succeed in Cincinnati after struggling through the past three injury-plagued seasons in Minnesota. But I need to see him perform at a high level first before starting him in the majority of leagues, especially in Week 1 at the Browns. While Cleveland was tough on tight ends last year, allowing the seventh-fewest PPR points to the position, Smith also has to contend with limited practice time with Joe Burrow, who is playing through a calf injury. I wouldn't be surprised if Smith is someone we're talking about starting down the road, but leave him on your bench in Week 1.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Contrarian DFS Play
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If you want to get even more contrarian than Njoku, look to the other sideline. The best time to play injury-prone players like Irv Smith is Week 1 when they are fully healthy. Hayden Hurst commanded five targets per game in this offense and Smith is a more dynamic athlete. Smith is just $3,600 on DraftKings, the cheapest of my top 15 tight ends.
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Bengals' Irv Smith: Impressing coaches and teammates
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Smith has been quick to pick up the Bengals offense this spring and is already impressing coach Zac Taylor, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com reports. "That's the most impressive thing about Irv is how quickly he's picked everything up and even taken on the nuances," Taylor said.
Fellow tight end Drew Sample also had kind words this spring, suggesting that Smith runs smoother routes than former Bengals TEs Hayden Hurst and C.J. Uzomah. Smith split snaps with Kyle Rudolph his first two years in Minnesota and then missed 26 games the past two years, but a late breakout isn't out of the question with the 2019 second-round pick joining a top passing offense for his age-25 season. Sample is the only other tight end on the roster with more than 15 career receptions, and even he caught just 13 passes in 19 games the past two years. Smith may not get an every-down role but should be the team's top pass-catching TE.
